


I Love College

by EllaMariexoxo



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Drama & Romance, F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2019-06-25 12:42:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 128,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15640989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllaMariexoxo/pseuds/EllaMariexoxo
Summary: A look into the dramatic, wild and often crazy lives of the FMA group at Central University.





	1. Bottoms Up

**(Winry)**

There were a lot of differences between Central City and her hometown of Resembool. For one, the noise level was constant and undeniably angry. In the countryside the rolling hills sang sweet songs of rustling grass, insects humming and the occasional lone wolf. Here in the city there were horns blaring, doors slamming, raised voices and an industrial complex that ceased to ebb or slow. At first Winry had been starry eyed in her journey, feeling pride at both her admission to Central University and her independence in it all. Now the excitement had waned and she was left feeling awfully alone in this fast paced world.

The sound of the stairwell door slamming once, twice and a third time had her wriggling farther under her covers. A minute passed, maybe more, before she sat up in a flurry of motion with her heart racing. Winry stared helplessly at her alarm clock sitting uselessly on the floor, its plug a good foot from an outlet. For another full minute she half squinted half prayed that the digital numbers were wrong. Then, with a knowing pang, she looked up at the foot still housed in a red stiletto, its owner passed out in the clothes from the night before. Apparently college was an excuse to get drunk and pass out until noon on a weekday. Maybe if her parents were footing the bill for her tuition she might be under the impression she could skip class too.

Morning lectures were the unfortunate consequence of being a freshman and it was frustrating. Managing to pull something on, Winry grabbed her bag and bolted out of the dorm room. The weather was a somber gray, sheets of rain pouring down from the sky and flooding the streets. Winry almost went back up to grab her umbrella but she was determined in her stubbornness to at least attempt to be on time.

Two steps out and Winry yelped as a puddle engulfed her feet, soaking them in mud. Throwing her head back she clenched her jaw and let the curse words dance in her head. Picking up speed she nearly collided with a car as she crossed the street. They honked their horn and Winry rolled her eyes because there was no such thing as courtesy in the city.

It was no surprise her now two minute tardiness had left Winry with a sparse selection of seating. Arriving early gave students their pick of prime real estate within the large lecture hall and with a soft spoken professor that had tiny handwriting this was key. Winry begrudgingly turned her sights on the back of the room. Chemistry was not a class she could afford to slack off in. Maneuvering quickly before she could become an object of the audience's restless attention she spotted a seat in the corner of the back row. It felt like walking through a horse pen and dodging piles of dung as she made her way past backpacks, purses, outstretched legs and unforgiving assholes. Unfortunately the only thing stopping her from reaching the last vacant seat was just that. Obstructing the seat in question was a student slouched in sweatshirt and gave no indication he would be moving anytime soon.

Winry shivered, her soaked clothes providing zero warmth in the cavernous lecture hall. "Excuse me." She requested softly, trying to avoid any unwanted attention.

When his eyes didn't even flicker Winry tried once again, this time with a little more force. " _Excuse me_."

Still no movement that he had heard or otherwise acknowledged her request.  _That was fine with her._ Winry had dealt with stubborn idiots many times before. With a renewed sense of contempt Winry pushed his legs out of her way and proceeded past him to the empty seat. Feeling aggravated and strangely alone Winry sank into her seat and tried to pretend Chemistry was all that was on her mind.

Lectures were long and tedious but today was challenging all the norms. Winry pulled her arms tighter across her torso to try and quell the shivers as he soaked clothing stuck to her skin. Trying to quell her chattering teeth Winry squeezed her pen and reminded herself she only had a half hour left. This proved to be a much more difficult task when she realized the guy sitting next to her had finally woken up and was apparently trying to get her attention. Winry ignored it at first but the more she ignored it, the bolder he became. His tiny jabs now turned into a full on shake.

Unable to pretend indifference for any longer she turned her fiery stare in his direction. "What?" she whispered menacingly.

The guy frowned in response, "Take it."

It was then that she noticed the sweatshirt he had offered in his hand.

"Oh, no thank you." she added the ending after hearing her own rude response. Her gran had taught her better than that. But in her own defense all she wanted was to get the class over with. Turning her attention back to the endless ramblings of her professors she was struck once again by his persistence. His hand tapped at her shoulder a few more times before she acknowledged him. Turning back to face him she was about to retaliate when he threw the sweatshirt at her.

"Take it." His tone suggesting he was irritated. "I can't concentrate with you shivering so badly."

Winry's mouth fell open as she stared at the stranger next to her. After a moment she glared before agreeing and pulling the sweatshirt over her head. Initially her plan had been to put it on and continue to shiver but _oh did it feel warm_. It took everything in her to not nuzzle it back.

Despite her earlier aggression Winry was suddenly curious about this man. The metal appendage which had earlier been hidden was now in full view and he had her undivided attention. She may be going to school to be a surgeon but mechanics would always be her first love.

For the rest of the class Winry fluctuated between analyzing his automail arm and figuring out how to apologize. A simple verbal proclamation might have done the trick, but she wanted something more than a quick exchange. It was easy to see that his automail was top of the line, but maybe she could give him one of the pieces she had worked on back home. Her grandmother's customers swore Rockbell Automail was the best. Then again Winry had to remind herself that small towns bread small competition. Winry snuck a glance out of the corner of her eye at the boy in question. In her rush and irritation she had failed to notice that he was easy on the eyes. After careful observation she noticed his hair was composed of long, silky, golden threads that she wished had not covered his remarkably unique eye color. Golden eyes that were now staring right back at her. Winry quickly averted her gaze and tried focus back on the lecture.

_What had gotten into her?_

When the lecture was completed she was about to inquire about his automail when she realized he was already halfway through the door. Throwing her messenger bag over her shoulder Winry looked down at the sweatshirt. She was not about to hold on to some random guy's sweatshirt, Rose would never let her hear the end of it. Winry pushed her way through the exiting crowd and attempted to yell his name...only to discover she had never learned it.

Scanning the sea of students she finally caught sight of her target. Racing forward Winry shouted in his direction. "Hey!"

Part of her wanted to laugh as several heads turned toward her, his not being one of them. Now she really wished she had been polite enough to ask his name. Maybe the city agreed with her more than she thought. With one last spurt of energy Winry grabbed at his metal appendage.

Halted by her hands on his arm the golden boy jerked around.

Winry felt her uneven breathing hitch as she stared into his eyes, but the moment passed with absurd ease as he opened his mouth.

"What?" He asked in agitation, the rain still coming down all around them.

Flustered Winry pushed the wet hair out of her face and just stared. What had possessed her to stop him?

 _Oh right, the sweatshirt._ Throwing her bag at him to free her hands, Winry proceeded to lift his sweatshirt off. Her face flushed as the wet shirt underneath clung to the outer garment exposing her bare stomach and bra. Trying to act nonchalant about the whole ordeal Winry quickly pulled her shirt back down and finished removing his sweatshirt. "You left this." 

He took the sweatshirt and continued to stare. Winry felt heat on her cheeks and shrugged her shoulders. "Okay then, see ya." About to retreat into some kind of dark hole to hide she was started when he reached forward to stop her.

"Your bag?" He asked, holding out the black shoulder bag towards her.

In the scheme of things Winry didn't normally falter but when it rains it pours, so to speak. If embarrassment could kill she would have died in those few seconds. Sighing she reached out and grabbed it from his grasp. Before she turned to walk away Winry decided she was still a country girl and her gran had raised her well enough to swallow her pride. She offered him a weak smile. "Thanks."

**(Edward)**

Everyday the same monotonous schedule, wake up, go to class, go to sleep. Somewhere in between he usually ate and stuck his head in a book, but other than that it was pretty dull. Most would count him among the lucky few, but he had a hard time stomaching that. There was no need for him to worry about tuition when the new wing of the library was named after his father. Fucking Hohenheim the scholar. Out of spite he had never stepped foot in that particular part of the building. Then again having a wealthy father did allow him board and tuition at the best school in Amestris. Not that he needed the help, academics had never been the issue.

Currently he was in a foul mood. The rainy weather irritated the ports of his automail and the last thing he wanted to do was sit in a lecture hall while it throbbed. He wanted to retreat to the back of the room and sleep because this unit was entirely elementary. Its hard to take a class seriously when the professor was a quack. Ed found he did better on exams when he didn't listen to the man's cock and bull theories. Instead he was going to ponder something other than his irritating automail, he was going to sleep. That was the plan, until a wet country mouse showed up. There was something oddly and rather annoyingly familiar about the girl from his class. Attractive sure, but there was something about her that reminded him of the past.

All thoughts of sleeping went out the window as he caught a whiff of oil and lavendar. Feeling like a hound he hunkered down and flitted about his room picking up objects as he searched for the source. The search led him to a damp sweatshirt he had just recently thrown across his desk. Feeling vaguely creepy he sniffed at the sleeve and laughed. He had never met a girl that smelled like an autoshop and a flower. Interesting, maybe he should have asked what her name was.

The room to his door opened suddenly flew open, the need for knocking not a custom to the people living down the hall from him. Annoyed at the unannounced intrusion Feeling red handed Ed quickly dropped the sweatshirt.

"Hey boss man, you sleeping the day away?"

Besides Heymans, Jean was decidedly the loudest and rather intrusive man in his dorm. "I'm surprised you're not Havoc, especially after I heard you roll in around 4am." He raised his eyebrows at the party boy.

A grin stretched across his roughly shaved face. "Have you seen the girls on this campus?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "And how many of those girls have seen you and run?"

The blond laughed, looking sheepish. "Yeah well I make it a rule to not meet the same girl twice…if I can help it."

He thought of the blue eyed girl from the morning. "It's a small campus, aren't you the least bit worried this girls are going to figure out your game?"

"Yes." He admitted wistfully, "But until then I guess I'll just have to keep playing.

"I don't know why we're friends." He responded sarcastically.

Havoc frowned, "Sure you do. But as your friend I need to be honest and inform you that reading is not a college activity. You need to get out more Elric."

"Yeah and you need to study more, but we both know that won't happen either."

Folding his arms across his chest Havoc sighed. "College isn't just about academics Boss Man. This is about becoming a man and I think I can help you get there. Listen, the brothers of Beta Tau Alpha are holding their annual fall rush night and that's a guarantee for two things. First, free kegs, second beautiful, wild college girls." He added proudly. "Besides, as membership chair for BTA, it is my duty to bring in new members, what do you say?"

"You just want me to join your fraternity so your membership grade point average will go up." Ed countered.

Havoc feel silent for a moment before the grin returned to his face. "Well I guess that could be a reason, but we would need a hell of a lot more like you before we budge our GPA."

Ed had to admit, the fraternity life didn't exactly sound like something he'd be interested in, but it just might be something that could piss off his father. "Fine, count me in."

Havoc's mouth dropped open in surprise, "You're really going to show up?"

"Yeah." Ed voiced. "My dad was a Delta Tau."

Havoc groaned audibly, "Your dad was a DT? You do realize they are our number one rival here right?"

Edward shrugged, letting a shit eating grin widen on his face. "Yeah, nothing would piss him off more. So what time is this thing?"

**(Winry)**

"Come on Winry, you have to come out! I just know you'll have fun!" Rose gushed as she sat in front of the mirror.

Winry brushed her long blond hair, the bed behind her looking much more appealing than a night babysitting her roommate's drunken escapades. Not that she was planning on babysitting but judging from her roommates appearance in the morning Winry could do the math. Rose was a classic case of a sheltered, religious school girl that had suddenly discovered freedom. Winry was sure she was trying to cram 18 years' worth of misbehaving into the past three weeks since they had started at Central State University.

In an attempt to escape the pleading look of her roommate Winry shrugged her shoulders. "I have nothing to wear."

Rose rolled her eyes, "Worst excuse in the book. You're practically the same size as I am; go look through my closet."

When Winry made no move towards the closet Rose theatrically stormed across the room and threw the doors open. Having grown up without any sisters Winry wasn't sure if this was normal behavior, but she had her doubts. As Rose skimmed through her clothes Winry found her eyes widening in horror, what did they teach at all girls schools?

When Rose turned back around with a short black skirt and white v-neck Winry breathed again. It was a little revealing, but not flashy or as ostentatious as the other pieces were.

"So?" Rose asked practically bouncing in anticipation.

"I'll try it." Winry submitted skeptically. Reluctantly she pulled the shirt on and shimmied into the skirt. Wearing Rose's clothes almost felt like pulling on someone else's personality. "I don't know, maybe I should just stay in tonight."she mused softly. The image staring back at her looked 

"You  _always_  stay in. It's Friday Winry, which means no class tomorrow."

Winry rolled her eyes. "I'm aware."

Rose huffed loudly, "Do you ever plan on ever having a social life? Besides are you even looking at yourself in that mirror? By the end of tonight you are going to have all the boys wrapped around your finger. I just don't see the issue here."

It was hard to object with her roommate so excited. To be fair they really didn't do much together so maybe it couldn't hurt to try to get to know her this way. Visit a few parties, have a few drinks and come home. Winry had drank before in Resembool, she could hold her booze. Scratch that, going out and drinking with Rose should never be put in the same sentence as good idea. So she resigned herself to whatever hair and makeup tutorials Rose felt it necessary to impose. Maybe a sister or mother should have showed her just how to do something like this. If only she had had one of those growing up.

"Thank me later." Rose smirked as she made her way over to their mini fridge. Pulling out a jug of orange juice she moved to her dresser draw. "You owe me; you wouldn't believe how long it took me to seduce the guy at the liquor store into letting me buy this." She yanked out a fifth of vodka, her eyes sparkling dangerously as she held it up in salute. "Bottoms up."

Swallowing nervously Winry fidgeted with a piece of her hair. Her gran had let her take a swig of whiskey a few times and  of course they had drank beer on summer nights but never a fifth and never just two people. "You want to drink  _all_  of that?"

Rose laughed like it was the funniest thing she had heard in a long time. "No,  _we_  are going to drink it. Come on! Just have a few shots with me and I promise this night will be ten times better. Besides, didn't you tell me to never accept a drink at a party? We're being much safer this way."

How this girl came from a religious boarding school was mind boggling. Rose's logic was clearly misguided but Winry still felt a twinge of loneliness and the idea of sharing a night out made her feel like she was fitting in. Winry fingered the short edges of her skirt; a few drinks also might make the butterflies go away. Trying not to think about all the reasons why this was a bad idea Winry took a few gulps of the bottle like taking a swig of water. It didn't hit her until the liquid began to burn that this wasn't the sort of thing one could just continue to drink to quench their thirst. Her hands reached frantically for the orange juice. Cringing, Winry gulped down the chaser. Eyes watering Winry tried to keep from coughing it back up.

Rose rubbed her back comfortingly. "Wow champ, way to gulp that down." She laughed, "It's easier if you just take a quick swig. You don't have to chug it. Here-"

She grabbed the bottle, threw it back and then chased it down with a glass of juice. "See." Her lips curled up into a smile, "Not that bad." she extended the bottle towards her, "Try again."

Making a face Winry took a deep breath as he roommate motioned her on with her hands. "Bottoms up."

**(Edward)**

Tonight he had agreed to come to a fraternity party and after word got out he was considering pledging they had rolled out the red carpet. Potential members apparently were a commodity because his hand always had a beer, there was always a seat for him to sit and girls poured over him like freshman over a keg. At this point the drinks were flowing and after the fourth can he felt himself relax into the social gathering. Edward smirked as he took in his surroundings, his father would be ready with a full on lecture if he could see his son drinking at a college party. Then again, drinking was his father's remedy to their family problems, why couldn't it be his?

"Ladies, ladies, ladies!"

Looking over his shoulder he spotted Havoc welcoming a group of girls into the frat house. The place looked like it was at capacity but that didn't stop guests for coming in. The scene was a chaotic with personalities and relaxed inhibitions but Ed was content to just sit back and observe. He liked the way people just accepted strangers at a party, their guards thrown to the wind. He thought it must be nice to leave your baggage at the door and pretend to be someone else entirely.

Crunching an empty can in his hand he wondered what number it had been. Edward had stopped counting after six and from the way the room swayed it was long past seven. He was content to remain an observer in the background until a girl with a pink streak in her hair forced him back to reality. He stiffened as she stumbled into his lap, her hand carelessly falling onto his groin.

"Opps!" she giggled, her hand slowly retracting.

Edward could only blink owlishly as she stared back at him in curiosity, her mistake a thing of the past. "How come I've never seen you here before?" Her eyes lit up as she drunkenly played with his hair.

There was no denying the pleasure that came with teasing hands and the strange static of alcohol buzzing through his veins. Then again, the girl was obviously wasted and for a moment he wondered how far he could trust himself. He pushed away her hands, attempting to help her stand. "Maybe you were never really looking."

The girl laughed as if that were the funniest thing she had ever heard. "No, I've been looking. So why haven't I  _seen_  you before?"

Shrugging his shoulders he tried once again to help her up. Arguing with a drunken girl might be a bit more involved than he wanted at the moment. He was aware of girls like her that liked to dangle off a guy like sweat on humid day.

She swatted away his hands, drained his beer and threw the can over her shoulder in one fluid motion. "Looks like you're all out." She pouted sarcastically, "Guess we'll have to grab some more." The girl brushed her lips against his before settling by his ear. "We should check upstairs for more."

Upstairs? The idea sat funny in his daze because he was fairly certain she knew this wasn't his house. Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe he wasn't in the mood to object such an easy offer. Either way Edward received a few pats on the back as he stumbled after the brunette, even some words of encouragement, none of which really mattered. It took a few mumbled apologies before they managed to find an unlocked room. Havoc had told him that girls like this existed, but he was having a hard time remembering why the idea hadn't sounded good at the time. She stumbled right along with him, and though his body was telling him one thing he was still aware of the alcohol on her breath and the sound of people all around.

The door was barely shut when he was impressed by the sheer force of her. Pushing him off balance the girl tackled him onto the unmade bed. Ed wondered briefly whose room they had just invaded. As the room swayed back and forth in an unnatural and confusing way he began to lose any sense of reality. Where was he? Who was he? Damn, who was she? This was wrong on some level and he tried to push her away long enough to figure it out but she had already discarded her dress and was proceeding to straddle his hips. _Oh god_. 

When he didn't respond to her prompts the girl took matters into her own hands. Even in his daze Edward knew this wasn't right and despite the beat of the music below, the need to piss his father off and several other motivating factors, he just couldn't. She had his shirt halfway off before he could grab her arms. Suddenly she was backing away as if she had touched a hot stove, her eyes wide as they stared at his automail arm she had just revealed.

There was actual fear in her eyes. "What are you, some kind of freak?"

That sobered him up real fast, the comment stirring up bad memories. Ed narrowed his eyes as he pulled his shirt back down. "It's none of your business." He had let this go too far already. The girl fell ungracefully to the floor in her attempt to retreat from the room. Edward grit his teeth and grabbed her arm before she stumbled out the door.

**(Winry)**

Going to a frat house when she couldn't even walk straight was not something Winry actually wanted to do. Then again Rose had a way of making anything sound good at the moment. She tried her best to stay as close to her roommate as possible but the sheer volume of people made it difficult. Winry realized that in her stupor she had no idea where she was or who these people were. The thought brought on a slight panic, but the silent buzz kept it from firmly taking root. It was only a matter of time before her roommate was lost to the crowd and Winry was stranded in a sea of strangers. Alone, drunk and feeling as if she might puke. _Happy Friday to me._

While she tried scanning the room again Winry collided with a stranger. He turned around quickly, his eyes flashing for a moment before he looked her up and down. His face lit up at the sight of her and she was already being cast into his net. Winry quickly pulled her hair over her shoulder in an attempt to cover the cleavage he was staring at.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing all by herself?" He mused.

Winry shot another look around the room she was in, but still no sign of her roommate. The guy was twice her size making it hard to fight down her natural inclination to swat him like a fly. Trying not to create a scene Winry faked interest. "Thank you, but I didn't come here by myself, my roommate left me."

 _Weird_ , she didn't mean for that to come out. Winry knew she should have said she came with a boyfriend or something else to turn him off.

Looking like he had just won the lottery the college boy put an arm around her shoulder. "Here have some punch and then I'll help you look for your roommate."

It didn't take a genius to see through his pretense, but she was feeling cornered and very unlike herself. Maybe he would help her. The room ebbed and flowed and Winry found herself accepting the punch and following him. As if she was being launched into the future Winry wondered how she got upstairs or who the guy looming over her was. He was kissing down her neck and his hands were... she started to shake, her mouth not being able to form the word she wanted to say. Feeling queasy and upset she finally managed to get it out. "Get off." she tried.

Either he wasn't listening or he just didn't care because he wasn't doing as she asked. The fear building up, Winry knew the night had been one mistake after the next. Had it only been hours ago that she had decided to break all her rules? Scared of where this was headed, where it had already gone she threw her knee up, effectively hitting him where it would deal the most damage. As he moaned in pain she rolled out from under him and ran out of the room, slamming the door in her wake. Running down the hallway Winry realized the stairs were back past the door she had just come from and her world spun. Afraid that he would see her pass she opened the closest door to her and stepped in.

Relief, shock, embarrassment and finally anger washed over her like a tidal wave. Standing in her bra and underwear was Rose, a boy holding her back. She noticed the upset look on Rose's face and assumed the worst as she caught sight of the metal arm stopping her from escaping. Having so narrowly averted the same predicament Winry took off one of her heels and chucked it at his head.

"YOU LEAVE HER ALONE!" She yelled.

The guy released her roommate as he brought his hand up to his head instead. "What the hell?"

Rose stumbled towards her looking relieved. "Winry!" she gushed. "I can't believe I almost slept with a mutant!" She laughed as if this was a comical event and tried to walk past her towards the door but the guy blocked her off. This time Winry noticed the metal hand and felt her stomach drop. Now that she had really looked at the situation, she knew why the guy was halting her roommate. In his other hand he held out her roommates dress.

"Idiot, you left your dress." He growled out angrily.

Winry tried to process how she knew this guy but her stomach was rolling. Finding it hard to stand, she just stared at the boy from class, completely unaware that her roommate had left without the dress. Wait, why was he staring at her like that? Oh right. She wiped the tears from her face, trying to forget the memory of the guy's hands on her as much as she had forgotten most of the night already. She wished she could just go to sleep.

**(Edward)**

The crazy girl was friends with the blonde from his chemistry class? He could already tell this was a building nightmare and that was before she beamed him in the head with her shoe. "What the hell?"

It must have addled his brain because he was suddenly feeling like a turd watching as the blonde cried. Hadn't she hit him with a shoe? Feeling unsteady and irritated he tried to get her to stand still so he could properly explain but she sagged in his arms. With a grunt he tried to pick her back up and set her on the bed. Her eyes widened and a look of fear passed over her face, but at least the tears had stopped. He rolled his eyes as he kneeled down and slipped the shoe back on her foot. If she really knew him she would have laughed at the idea of him taking advantage of a girl.

Looking up at her he put a comforting hand on her knee. "I'm not going to hurt you." Getting hit in the head had a good way of sobering someone up he concluded. "I'll walk you home if you want." He offered.

Her eyes closed as if she were already half asleep. "Home is a long way away."

He gripped her shoulders, "Hey!" He snapped his fingers in front of her face. "Don't go to sleep." He ordered her, but it was too late the girl was out cold.


	2. Walk of Shame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things look a whole lot different in the light of day.

**(Rose)**

Rolling over, she glanced at the guy lying beside her. Stretching slowly Rose did an assessment of her predicament. This guy was pretty good looking, but even with his good looks she could have sworn he had blonde hair not this dark brown. Rose rubbed her temples she had drank an awful lot to confuse that. Slipping her legs out from under the sheet she scanned the room in search of her dress. Sitting back on the bed Rose frowned, where the hell had she put it? "Fuck me." She smirked humorlessly.

"Too early." The guy beside her moaned as her words stirred him.

Rolling her eyes, she ran a hand through her tangled hair. "Well are you going to help me find my dress or not?" 

He stretched but didn't make a move to help her. "Aw sweetheart, you never had one."

Rose felt uncomfortable then, she had definitely left her room with a dress. Maybe the party was a blur, but hadn't she followed him up to the room they were now sitting in? With a sigh she began to sift through the covers and checking under the bed. "Of course I had one smartass. I didn't come here like this." She added sarcastically.

The guy patted the empty spot on the bed next to him, "Why don't you forget about your dress for a little bit?" He asked eyeing her over with a renewed sense of interest.

Rose caught a glance at the wall next to the bed recognizing the Greek block letters hanging up. _Wait a minute_. Her heart sank. "Where am I?" She asked weakly.

The guy propped himself up on his elbow giving her a bemused look. "You're in the Delta Tau house hunny and you got to sign the wall last night."

Despite what she knew her roommate probably thought of her antics, she had never done anything like this. Sure she had been with a few guys, but she had remembered getting in bed with all of them and even the awkward 'it was a good time but let's agree to never talk again' moment in the morning. Now she knew for a fact that this was not the guy she had originally tried to tame. Despite having been on campus for only three weeks even she knew the Delta Tau house was at least a block away from the Beta Tau Alpha house...which is where she had been last night.

Her throat went dry as she turned to face the wall he was grinning at. There had to be over fifty signatures covering the surface, some in loopy handwriting, some with hearts and even some with numbers. "I have to go." She mumbled before stumbling out the door.

Things suddenly seemed uglier in the light. Stepping into the hallway Rose decided she just needed to get back to the dorm. Only the hallway wasnt empty and she was far from a quiet exit. Heads began to peak out of rooms as a few boys wolf whistled as she ducked her head and marched. 

"Don't forget to stop by the Delta Iota Kappa house, you can sign your name there too!" 

Rose stopped in her tracks her hands clenched at her sides. "What?" she whispered in fear. Mercifully a few of the boys in the house looked just as disgusted and proceeded to drag the guy out of the house saying something about not even living there.

The man with long black hair, almost resembling a palm tree smirked, his grin widening, "You heard me. You earned the right to sign my wall."

No, no this was not happening. Her thoughts suddenly halted at the thought Winry, what had happened to her? Rose had known full well what she was getting into but Winry, she had just wanted her to have a little bit of fun. Her footsteps built into a run as several more guys stopped her along the way, recognition illuminating their faces as they playfully called after her. She tried to block out the number of times guys yelled at her to sign their walls. What kind of mess had she gotten herself into?

Tears budding at the corners of her eyes she managed to grab a coat off a hook by the door before sprinting out into the light. Stumbling down the street she could feel the sets of eyes on her. The large jacket might have covered her, but as she ran barefoot down the street she could almost feel eyes judging her.

**(Edward)**

It wasn't the best night's sleep he had ever gotten, but obviously the girl lying across his chest wasn't bothered in the least. He had spent most of the night trying to figure out what to do, well what was the right thing to do at least. The blonde girl from his Chemistry class had passed out on the bed and seeing as he had no idea where she lived and wasn't about to carry her aimlessly around the large campus he decided to just let her sleep. That had somehow morphed into her using him as a pillow but he was too tired to care. That and he had never in his life had someone nuzzle his automail before.

The sun was starting to stream in through the windows making him feel as if he had lived a hundred lives that night. Edward wondered where the owner of the room was and if he knew there were strangers in his bed. Guess the guys were pretty chill, if he had found two people cuddled up on his bed he wouldn't have been too pleased. She was out cold, Edward knew he could easily slip from her embrace and avoid an awkward moment, but that felt cowardly. The age old predicament, to stay or to go? Ed decided he might as well stay and at least do some explaining so she didn't jump to any conclusions. She seemed like the kind of girl that wouldn't hesitate to beat him over the head. The girl had already proven she was capable of hitting a target while drunk. Edward decided she was an interesting girl. So far his observations had concluded that she had that raw kind of spunk and wasn't afraid to stand up for herself. There was something attractive about an independent woman, but all attractiveness aside he wondered if the occupant of their room was gone or whether he would have to face someone in the near future. He would be willing to bet on the second scenario.

Sure enough the door opened a little bit later, a guy walking straight through, his head down. His steps relayed a presence of some substance still holding over him as he ambled in completely unaware of Edward and the girl. Stumbling a few steps the man flopped ungracefully towards the bed. Ed let out a howl of pain as the guy crushed him.

The next few seconds were a blur of screams and shouting. It wasn't pretty.

"The hell?!" The man yelled as he jerked out of his stupor catching sight of Ed. But that was before he heard the gasp from the girl. Rolling over on the bed he barely missed a beat, he propped his head up on his hand as he turned toward the stunned face. "Pardon me, what do we have here?" He mused with a wicked grin.

Smack.

Oh he was going to have a mark for sure. Ed would probably have been a little more amused at the sight of this guy getting beat up by a girl if she wasn't also glaring in his direction. Before shooting them each a deadly stare, she slipped off the bed and fled from the room. The guy heaved a disappointed sigh as he let out a loud and rather disgusting belch. Looking over his shoulder he made a face, "Next time, you should probably leave before she wakes up." He offered.

Edward cringed, the sarcasm dripping from his voice. "Yeah I'll keep that in mind." 

The man ran a hand through his hair before turning a deadly serious stare in his direction. "You're lucky Havoc knows you kid or else I would have beaten the shit out of you for sleeping in my room."

Had knowing Havoc really pulled him out of bad situation? Looks like special treatment he had received had a time limit. "Yeah, thanks." He muttered.

Walking down the hallway he noticed the obvious aftermath of a hurricane, or college party. Something green was dripping down the wall, there were red cups scattered here and there and several bras hanging from the chandelier over the main stairway. Watching his step he managed to make it down the booby trapped stairs and into the front room.

 _Damn._ There had to be at least twenty people lying scattered across couches, chairs, and the poor few sprawled out on the floor. Ed scanned the group looking for the the blonde haired girl from class, but no luck. His eyes felt dry and scratchy and he was dying for a class of water. Still Edward prowled around a bit because he felt the need to explain himself. He has a sinking feeling she probably wouldn't ever talk to him again. Not that they had really talked to begin with but the thought still made him feel bad. Whatever, all he wanted to do was go back to his dorm and pretend the sun never came up.

Agitated, he brushed two empty cans of beer off the hood of his car before he got in. The street was lined with either Fraternity houses or club houses. The swimmers house boasted a slogan, nicknaming themselves the "Fish Tank", while a few houses down a car was parked out in the front yard, a guy in a lawn chair sitting on top. Upon closer inspection he noticed the guy had graffiti all over him, for that guys sake he better hope it wasn't permanent marker. Ed shook his head wondering if this was what the street always looked like.

Turning down the volume of his radio to a dull level he tried to avoid the oncoming headache. Feeling desperate he opened up an old water bottle and downed the warm liquid. Driving down the street he was about to turn onto the main road when he noticed a familiar blonde walking down the sidewalk. She had her arms crossed across her chest, her pace fast and determined as she looked straight ahead. There was something a bit comical and slightly sad as he watched her stumble a bit as if the heels she were wearing were foreign. He thought about just driving away, but she looked like she could use help and he felt the need to redeem himself.

Pulling up next to her, he rolled down the window. "Hey!"

She flinched but turned toward him anyway. Her eyes widened as she recognized his face. Her lower lip trembled for a second before she turned abruptly her arms circling tighter around her torso, her steps quickened.

"Hop in," He called at her retreating form. "Come on, I'll drive you home."

"Come on, please?" He offered weakly. This wasn't how he wanted her to remember him. He had to suffer an entire semester of running into her in not only in their Chemistry lecture but the lab as well. For some strange reason he actually cared and thought it would be nice if they could at least be civil. Once again he wasn't sure why that mattered, _it just did_.

**(Winry)**

It had been a lapse in judgement and a moment of weakness. How had she let one mistake lead to another and then another? Her head was filled with images and feelings that made her feel sick to her stomach. _Oh_ , _maybe she actually was going to be sick to her stomach._ Even though she had woken up with all her clothes on, Winry had no idea how she ended up in a room with two guys. Rose was nowhere to be seen, her head was pounding, and her stomach was churning. Winry kept her eyes on the ground as she continued to walk down the street; the shame washing over her. All she wanted to do was crawl into her bed and pretend she was safe at home in the countryside. It felt like the city was slowly eroding her spirit like a disease working behind the scenes.

He called after her a third and fourth time, but it wasn't until the fifth that she realized just how far of walk she did have back to her dorm. The sun was starting to glare making her feel on the brink of a breakdown.  A voice small and childlike tried to escape, _Take me home, make it go away_. Lost in her thoughts and indecision she failed to notice that he had caught up and was already leaning over to open the passenger side door.

Winry eyed the shiny red corvette and almost smiled, she too liked classic cars. Winry doubted the guy waiting for her to get in had done any of the work himself but the thought that they might have something in common settled her nerves. Probably just another spoiled rich kid, who had given her a sweatshirt, tried to get with her roommate, slept in the same bed as her and was trying to offer her a ride home. She wasn't sure what to make of those things. Who was he? She didn't exactly dwell on it as a wave of nausea came on hard, suddenly the only decision she had was to let it all out.

Dropping to her knees Winry felt her stomach lurch a few times before she finally gave in. Winry half imagined him slamming the door shut and driving off with a disgusted look on his face. Good, she hoped he would drive off and just let her be.

"Ugh…" She moaned in pain as her body shook again before her stomach threatened to try another round.

It was after the third round of dry heaving that she realized someone was holding her hair while they rubbed her back. Looking up she noticed his face was clenched together but there wasn't disgust, only worry. Wiping at her wet eyes she tried to compose herself, checking to see if she had gotten any puke on herself. The hangover was here to stay and she felt like she was stuck on a merry go round. Again the irrisistable urge to crawl back home with her tail between her legs sat there like an open invitation. Maybe she wasn't cut out for the big city, maybe she would never become a doctor. Unable to get a grip on her surroundings she let Edward help her into his car because while she was tearing herself down it felt almost like he was building her back up. With a sigh she let her head rest against the cool glass of the door window and breathed in and out through her nose.

He broke the silence first. "Nothing happened."

They were strangers weren't they? He owed her nothing, but maybe he was telling the truth. "Nothing happened?" She repeated weakly.

He cleared his throat, "I know what you saw when you first came in but you got it all wrong, I'm not even a part of that fraternity. Do you remember asking me to take you home?"

Winry wondered what else she might have asked him. "No."

"Thought so. You passed out before I could find out where you live. Listen I'm not trying to pull anything here I just didn't feel right leaving a pretty girl passed out with all those guys; even if they aren't so bad." He admitted reluctantly.

Her mind skimmed over his words catching on one in particular. Did he just call her pretty? "Sorry." She added slowly afraid that opening her mouth might make it easier for the nausea to take over.

She saw him glance at her out of the corner of his eyes which was funny because she was doing the same.

"Don't apologize, you didn't do anything wrong."

Swallowing, she could taste the aftermath of being sick still lingering in her mouth. "No, I do. Thank you for helping me. That's twice now."

"Alright, well you can thank me by telling me where you live." He added thoughtfully.

She looked out the window not really enjoying watching things pass by. Closing her eyes Winry muttered something about Walker Street and Edgar lane. He didn't question her so she let him solve the mystery himself and find Aldrich Hall, her dormitory building.

The car stopped but Winry felt like her world was still moving forward. Looking up at the familiar building she wondered why he had parked the car instead of just dropping her off. He was out of the vehicle and circling around to open her door before she could protest.

"Come on." He prodded her.

Stepping out Winry didn't fight him as he guided her with his hands. There was something to be said about hangover acceptance. Currently she was in no shape to really argue against any kind of help she could get. Once they made it up to her room Winry paused before opening the door. She hated that she blushed hard when his hands grazed her arms to help her. It seemed silly that after everything she still didn't know his name. "I don't think we got off to a great start."

He grimaced, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, guess we never really got started off at all. Edward Elric, but you can call me Ed."

Winry remembered he had held her hair back while she puked and decided that it was awfully funny to not know each other's names. "Winry Rockbell." Not sure what else to say she turned back to unlock the door in her unease. Expecting to find Rose passed out in her bed she was confused by the leftover remnants of the night before. Not one thing had been moved since they had left. Rose was a partier, but she never stayed out _all night_. Winry had a flash of the man who had tried to lure her upstairs at the party and shuddered. "My roommates not home."

Ed just stared at her before shrugging his shoulders, "Sounds like you lucked out."

"What if she's still at the fraternity house? I need to make sure she's ok." Winry stated firmly, even if sleeping was the only thing she wanted to do. There was no way she was going to be able to sleep off her hangover with that over her head. Her hand subconsciously rubbed at her throbbing temple. "Even if she's at the house, I at least have to know she's alright."

Ed pushed her back towards her bed, " _You_ aren't going anywhere."

Trying to stand back up, Winry glared at Edward. So much for starting over, maybe he was just as insufferable as the slumped boy she had originally met. "And you're going to stop me?" She asked defiantly.

"Calm down, my buddy is part of that fraternity. I'll call Havoc and ask him to check on her, ok?"

Winry relaxed slightly because that meant she didn't have to get out of bed. Stupid Edward Elric had been right about not leaving her bed. Maybe she was overacting, Rose had been going out for a couple weeks now and appeared just fine.

"Still drunk?" Edward greeted the guy on the other end of the line.

"Funny…but I need your help." There was a short pause. "Can you check the house for that girl that was talking to me last night?"

Winry watched as his cheeks reddened slightly, "No, not the blonde girl, the girl with the pink streaks in her hair…ok, call me when you find her."

Ed walked over to her desk and took a seat, before leaning back and closing his eyes. "He'll call me as soon as he finds her. I'm sure he'll be able to drop her off on his way back."

"You're sure he's going to find her?" All things considered she wasn't so sure about these fraternity men.

"If there's a girl left in that house, he'll find her." Ed replied in good humor.

Winry laid back down on her bed, letting the headache consume her. Dammit Rose. Sitting on her roommates desk was her pink iphone looking very lost without its owner. If she wasn't at the BTA house Winry wasn't sure what she should do. Should she call the police? Should she go around interrogating people?

"Go to sleep, I'll wake you up when he calls back.Okay?"

Winry raised her eyebrows, "I'm not going to fall asleep with a stranger in my room." She retorted.

"I thought we weren't strangers anymore, Winry." He deadpanned.

"All I know is that you drive a nice 1963 Corvette Sting Ray Coupe, you're friends with this Havoc guy, you're taking chemistry this semester, and your automail needs a good tune up." She counted off sarcastically.

His face morphed from stunned silence to a wide grin. "How do you know what kind of car that is? And how do you know that my automail needs a tune up?" He added defensively.

Hadn't it been obvious? "I've worked with automail since I was a kid and as for the car…" She sighed. "I work at a local garage to help pay for school."

He looked awfully interested and was not too keen to explain why she not only had to work on automail but at the garage to pay for her school. "Care to tell how you got both an automail leg and arm?"

His face paled but he looked directly into her eyes as if challenging her. "Not my story to tell."

Winry frowned but wasn't deterred, she would dig it out of him eventually. He didn't seem like such a bad guy anymore. Stubborn yes, but he was helping her out and being almost fifty percent automail counted for something in her book.

His ringtone filled the air, Ed picked it up looking relieved. "Hey Havoc."

Winry watched with bated breath as his lips pressed together forming a thin line. "Are you sure?" He asked softly. After a few seconds his eyes closed. "Thanks anyways."

Oh no. She didn't need to listen to the other end of the conversation to realize Rose wasn't there. Edward stood up quickly stuffing his phone in his pocket. She could only stare helplessly as he walked to the door; she had kind of hoped he would help her. But to be fair he didn't owe her anything at this point.

"Well." He prompted when she remained frozen in place. "Even though I think you should rest a little more, your roommate probably won't listen to me when I find her. You might as well come too."

"Huh?" Winry wasn't following.

"You might as well come too." He repeated in a slow and over dramatic fashion.

"No, I understood you fine the first time. You are going to help me find her?" She wondered out loud.

Edward shot her an endearing lopsided grin. "What else would I be doing?"

**(Edward)**

Of course he had lied, but Edward wanted to study Winry a little bit longer and this gave him the excuse. He had never a young, female automail engineer before.  If spending his Saturday looking for this girl made Winry feel better he decided he could grit his teeth and bare through it.

They drove up and down the streets that stretched out from campus. Edward didn't have to say it, they both were beginning to think they might not find her, but he wasn't about to call the police just yet. The quiet panic on Winry's face made him determined to help. Just when he was about to double back and cruise the street again he felt Winry's hand slam into his chest.

"STOP!" she screamed.

Slamming on the brakes he groaned as the sensation ripped through him. "What the hell Winry!"

But she was already out the door and attacking a girl into her embrace. Edward sat back in his seat letting out a deep breath. Finally.

As Winry stepped aside to let Rose squeeze into the front seat with her Ed had to bite his tongue to keep from saying anything. The girl looked a mess, ratted hair with makeup running down her face, not to mention the Delta Iota Kappa jacket that looked four sizes too big. Figuring he might find himself whacked over the head he held his tongue and drove them back to the dorm in silence.

Once he had parked in his usual spot and proceeded to follow the two girls into the hall he noticed Winry look over her shoulder at him curiously. Halting Rose momentarily Winry turned around and gave him a subtle smile. "Thank you for everything." Her smile faltered a little. "I can take it from here."

"Don't worry about it." He repeated calmly before continuing to follow them towards the steps.

She turned around once more, her expression wavering. "Really, we're fine."

"Yeah, I know."

"Then why are you still following us?" Her voice inched up a notch.

She was something fierce, he thought provoking her would make things a little more lively. "I happen to live here."

"Like I believe that." She crossed her arms suspiciously. Rose moaned something about _who cares_ and just wanting to go to bed.

"Fine. Don't believe me." He spoke calmly. "I'll see you in chemistry." He added before he walked past both of them towards the stairwell. There were two things he was sure about right then. First, he had dodged a bullet with Rose and second, she was awfully lucky to have such a caring roomate. The night hadn't been a complete debauchery much to his chagrin. Winry lived one floor above him and conveniently shared both his chemistry lecture and lab with him. He wondered if she realized they would be picking their partners next week. Even if she wasn't too thrilled with their first encounter the fact that there would be more excited him in new and dangerous ways. 


	3. Rush Crush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's fall and that means its rush season.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Every campus is different, just like every fraternity is different. Each organization may have moral standards but it's up to its members to embody them.

**(Winry)**

"Rose?" She gave it a moment of silence before trying again. "Rose?" Winry repeated a little louder.

Usually the sight of her roommate sleeping in wouldn't bother her, but it was Monday and her roommate hadn't gotten out of bed since Saturday. "Rose, if you get up now you can still make it to your last class." 

The covers moved a little, but still no answer. With a _hmpf_ , Winry put a hand on her shoulder. "Please Rose?" The girl was starting to scare her.

Finally the comforter folded down and she caught a glimpse of her roommate. Winry felt her heart sink; the broken girl looked like her life was over. They hadn't started off as the best of friends, but Winry knew Rose needed one.

"Are you mad at me?" Rose sniffled, obviously thinking about the horrible Friday night.

"What's there to be mad at?" _There was plenty_ her conscious asserted, but Winry tried to encourage a smile out of Rose instead. "Come on, there is some inedible food in the commons calling our name." She offered humorously.

The hint of a grin ghosted across her face, "I guess we could make an appearance."

Winry watched as Rose picked idly at the food on her plate, her face lined with things she was obviously not telling her. It was frustrating; Winry had no idea how to confront something that was hidden behind walls. About to start up a light conversation to pull her roommates mind away from the weekend's events she started to talk about nothing in particular when they were interrupted by a few girls. The first girl smiled kindly, the stack of fliers in her hands a vibrant pink. Winry reluctantly took one of the fliers offered to her.

"Hi girls! We just wanted to let you know that sorority recruitment is next week starting on Monday at 7pm in the Student Center building." One of the girls with short brown hair announced sweetly.

"If you sign up for it now we will be able to give you all the updates and any information you need." Another girl piped up.

Winry cringed, boy were they asking the wrong girl. She wouldn't be caught dead doing some of the things she had heard sorority girls did. Trying to be polite she attempted to hand the flier back. "No thank you."

Despite her attempt to blow them off they were clearly undeterred.

"You don't have to go if you sign up. This is just a way for us to let you know when all the recruitment events are and answer any of your questions." She shifted her gaze from Winry to Rose. "Even if you decide sorority life isn't for you; you can always quit. But if you never try, you'll never know." 

Winry thought it all sounded rather rehersed and desperate. But Rose was eating it up every word.

"It starts next Monday?" Rose asked slowly.

One of the girls beamed at her, "Yes, next Monday, September 28th."

Rose looked briefly up at Winry before signing her name to the list. "You'll come with me, right?" she asked hopefully.

No…no no no. Her head was screaming the two letter word, but how could she possibly say it? Begrudgingly Winry followed after Rose feeling as if she were signing away her soul. This was something she was never going to live down. The girls seemed nice enough, but Winry just wasn't sure sorority life was something she would find 'enjoyable' in the least.

"You owe me." She mumbled out in annoyance.

Despite the feeling of dread Winry felt at having to actually participate in something she thought demeaned all women, she did have to admit that her roommate looked like she had regained some of her pep. It blew her mind that Rose was actually staying in during the week. Usually Monday night madness at Pub six was the place to be. Instead, Rose was currently looking online at all the sororities on campus. Maybe, just maybe, this whole sorority thing would actually be good for her. After a few days it was clear Rose was not only regaining her spirit, but she was becoming obsessed. Rose had taken to using her spare time to quiz Winry on what she would wear and what sorority she thought she would like. By the end of the week Rose had lost the red eyed, forlorn puppy dog look for good. 

Winry tried to concentrate on studying for her chemistry exam but ignoring her roommate's squeals of excitement every now and then was proving to be more of a challenge than she thought. Rose being excited about joining a sorority was much better than the lethargic and depressed version she had witnessed earlier. That being said Winry knew her patience was running thin and mumbled something about the library before leaving the room and regaining her sanity.

Finding a quiet corner on the fifth floor of the library was easy enough, but concentrating on the formulas in front of her wasn't. Running a frustrated hand through her long hair, Winry propped her head up in the palm of her hand, her elbow on the table. No matter how many times her eyes skimmed the numbers and words, there was something else on her mind. A sweatshirt, a red corvette and automail. Winry exhaled in frustration now was not the time to brood over a boy. Four hours of studying later was enough to convince her that if she didn't understand it now she was never going to. Grudgingly she walked back to the dorm, her head hung in defeat. The stereotype about college changing everything was shockingly real. It had barely been a month and already she had seen and done things that were a far cry from her days in Resembool.

Whack. Stumbling backwards she groaned in pain as she hit the railing, letting her book slide through her hands. What the hell…?

Standing looking a little dazed himself was the root of her problems at the moment, _Edward_. He didn't know she had been thinking about him but that didn't stop her cheeks from flushing in embarrassment. They lived in the same dorm building she should have expected to run into him at some point, just not literally.

"Sorry Winry." He apologized after a few seconds of awkward silence.

Winry waved his apology away; she should have been paying better attention. She sent him what she hoped was a reassuring smile before continuing on up the stairs.

"Hey wait!" He held out her chemistry book. "You dropped this."

"Oh." She managed to stammer out before reclaiming the item from his hands. "Thanks." She would rather sit in her room listening to Rose squeal over sorority stuff than have to stand in this awkward conversation with Ed.

"Studying for our chemistry exam?" He asked.

Feeling her pent up frustrations about studying surface she heaved a sigh. "I tried."

"Tried?"

Why did he care? She was beginning to think that maybe he just enjoyed watching her in distress. "No matter how many times I look at these formulas I still don't understand the mechanics of it all." That particular fact aggravated her more than anything else. Understanding how something worked was a personal trait she was distinctly proud of.

"Well I'm heading to my room to study for a little bit, I could help you out." He offered in a friendly gesture.

"Yes!" She breathed out in relief only realizing after he half grinned that she had agreed to follow him to his room. _Sure Winry, throw yourself at him the first chance you get._ She didn't want him to think that she was always in need of someone to help her; she was very capable of taking care of herself. Then again this opportunity was too good to pass up.

**(Edward)**

Who would have thought his knowledge of chemistry would have lured a pretty blonde girl into his room. Oh god. There was a pretty blonde girl in his room and he couldn't remember if he had thrown his dirty underwear into the laundry basket.

"Did I do it right?" She asked, her forehead knit with worry.

He scanned her balanced equation, noting her improvement over the past hour. He was also proud he had managed to shove any unwanted items under his bed. It felt good to actually tell her, "You got it."

An excited squeal burst from her mouth as she grinned widely at the problem. "I hope it's this easy on the exam tomorrow."

Having spent the past minute gazing at her blue eyes he didn't hear her next question. Judging from the expectant look on her face, she was obviously waiting for a reply. "Huh?"

She flushed immediately, "Oh, I just thought maybe..."

He could see her hand nervously toying with her pen. What had she asked him?

"I mean, I understand if you want someone who is better as this sort of thing." She finished, the disappointment clearly written on her face.

Woah, what was she asking him to do? Why would he want someone better? She obviously didn't see herself very clearly. He wasn't too concerned about what exactly he was agreeing to but he figured whatever it was the answer was yes. "Why can't it be you?"

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise, a smirk resting on her face. "You'll be my lab partner?"

He needed to get his mind out of the gutter; of course that's what she had asked him. "Looks like it." He may have been completely oblivious to girls prior to college, but something about this girl pushed him to be bold and made him feel the irresistible need to study her more.

A long and drawn out yawn awakened him to her fatigue. His eyes nearly popped out of his head after a quick glance across the room towards his alarm clock alerted him to the time. "Its 1am already?" They had class in less than eight hours, he could live off of no sleep at all, but a good nine hours of sleep was heaven.

Looking too tired to really speak she rubbed at her eyes before packing her book and notes back into her bag. Rising from the floor she threw her bag over her shoulder. She smiled even through her jaw cracking out a yawn. "I should probably go. Thanks Ed, I owe you."

He opened the door for her, watching as she walked out into the hallway. "No problem, guess I'll see you in class tomorrow…or should I say today?" He corrected himself at seeing the time once again.

Winry glanced at her watch, "Guess it is past midnight...I'll see you in a few hours." She joked.

Ed enjoyed a laugh before waving her off. Falling onto his bed, he watched the ceiling as the smile on his face grew wider and wider. He had always like science. Science was all about action and reaction, but at last it seemed chemistry was about to get real interesting.

He barely slept thinking about Winry and other things that may or may not have to do with chemistry. When his alarm finally went off he dragged himself out of bed and across campus to class. The exam was easy but he felt like a hundred bricks were being stacked on his brain, each passing minuted another layer added on. It was brutal and he couldn't wait til it was over.

"Why are you so smiley?" He asked sullenly as Winry joined him on the walk back from class.

The dimples in her cheeks accented the cute expression on her face. "That wasn't bad at all." She remarked as if it were obvious.

Ed wasn't about to admit that the entire test he had thought about the way her hair fell over her face as she concentrated. He knew he had done well, but he was going to have to find some way to keep from letting something like that distract him. What was wrong with him anyways? Fighting his hormones had never really been a big problem. Having a short temper, sure, mood swings, yes. But pinning over a girl? No, this was definitely a new phenomenon.

"Whatever you say."

Her face puckered a little, "You're not telling me Mr. Science guy thought it was hard, are you?"

"Yeah yeah, laugh it up." He muttered, though he couldn't quite feel any kind of animosity towards the smiling girl. He enjoyed the way her laughter came out easy.

After waving goodbye he groaned as he caught sight of the notice on his dorm room door.

"Figured I would have to put that up there to remind you."

Ed turned over his shoulder, "Hey Havoc, can't say It's good to see ya."

"Aw don't be a spoil sport, a deals a deal."

He halfway remembered accepting a bid from Beta Tau Alpha, halfway.

"Pledge night starts at ten." He slapped him on the back before walking back down the hallway, "Don't be late!"

Ed shook his head, what a pain. But as he glanced at the Delta Tau bid card that acknowledged him as a legacy he cringed. Most of the BTA guys seemed a hell of a lot better than the fat headed Delta Tau men. At this point, the idea of pissing off his dad seemed about the only good reason for his consent.

Coming back from the gym he rolled his shoulder in a circular motion, feeling the tense friction flair up his nerves. It had been awhile since his last maintenance but the thought of finding a mechanic around the area didn't seem like the greatest way to spend his time. He didn't like boasting about having automail so asking around for a local mechanic wasn't high on his to do list. He shuddered remembering his old mechanic; the guy was a little much at times. Mr. Garfiel was a rare breed and an expert at making Ed feel completely out of his comfort zone.

He was just about to walk up to his dorm room when the lights suddenly went out. It took him a split second to realize why his world had suddenly gone black, but once he did, he struggled like hell. The feeling of scratchy material rubbing against his face reminded him of an old kidnapping scene he had once seen in a movie. What the hell was going on?

His thrashing and the unparalleled amount of curse words streaming from his mouth did little to stop his kidnappers. He heard voices, but none of them distinct enough to put a name to a face. Of course his father was a wealthy man, but in all his years no one had tried the whole ransom avenue. After being thrown into a moving vehicle his captures began to bind his wrists and ankles preventing him from creating any real chaos. Smart enough to conserve his energy, he waited it out. If they were taking him like this, they obviously had a reason for keeping him alive. Being dragged a good distance and taken down a flight of stairs he couldn't be sure where he was. The damp and musty smell alluded to being underground but where exactly this underground was, he couldn't be sure. Depending on his other senses wasn't proving to be much of any help either.

When at last he felt the ropes sag from his ankles and wrists and the sack pulled over his head he squinted in the harsh light. Looking around, his mouth dropped to the floor, this was nothing he had ever seen before. Standing around him and a group of other disoriented looking guys was a large circle of men, each wearing a blue hooded cloak sufficiently covering their faces. Narrowing his eyes he glanced around the circle suspiciously.

One of the men standing almost directly in front of Ed stepped forward. "Welcome to hell ladies."

**(Winry)**

Winry wanted nothing more than to run far, far away. There had to be over two hundred girls waiting in the ballroom for the start of recruitment. A group of women started the event off with introductions and proceeded to split up all two hundred girls into recruitment groups. Thankfully both her and Rose had ended up in the same Rho Chi group. Taking in a relieved breath, Winry exhaled slowly, only five houses to visit and then she could leave. Figuring the leader of her group to be yet another bimbo she was a little thrown off by the girl waiting for them. Their Rho Chi leader looked distinctly professional, her blond hair twisted neatly to the back of her head, a pencil skirt matched well with a plain white blouse. The clipboard in her hands revealed a set of complex, but well organized notes,

"Hello girls, my name is Riza Hawkeye and I will be your Rho Chi for the next week. If you look at your books you will see each sorority's information that we will be visiting today. After today, both you and the sororities you have visited will put down your preferences. You will be asked back for the next round and so on. I will explain more in depth at the end of each day." She finished with a look that said if they had questions they better hold them. "Now, shall we head to our first house?"

Rose bounced excitedly at her side, "Oh I just hope I'm an Alpha Zeta!"

Flipping through the book quickly Winry had to fight to keep the grin off her face. The girls depicted in the picture looked like a modeling campaign. "You haven't even met them yet, how do you know that's the one you want to join?" She tried to understand the attraction of the fake smiles radiating from the picture.

"Just you wait; I heard they are the best sorority on campus." Rose spoke fervently.

As they approached sorority row, Winry was momentarily taken by the sight. She only vaguely heard Riza explain to them which house they were entering first, but there was no need. The frantic pulling on her arm was enough to signal to her that the first house they were going to was undoubtedly the infamous AZ house.

Standing at the door were at least twenty girls in matching khaki skirts and low cut white fitted shirts. In gold and pink letters above the door was the symbol for alpha and zeta. Everything from their gold lavalieres to their white headbands matched perfectly. Feeling almost corralled into the house Winry was instantly separated from Rose and driven into the company of two blond haired twins. The first girl smiled widely at her, "Hi, welcome to Alpha Zeta. I'm Regina and this is my twin sister Kelly."

Feeling a bit overwhelmed she decided to just breathe in and out before answering. "I'm Winry."

"Well if you follow us, we can give a quick tour of the house." Kelly smiled but the warmth in the gesture was lost by the penetrating stare of her eyes. She hoped the house was smaller than it looked because their x-ray vision just might poison her.

About fifteen minutes of history and tradition of being the best shoved down her throat she gratefully followed them back to the main room.

"You want to be a doctor?" Regina asked, her eyebrows raised.

Finally a subject she could talk about! "Yes, I was originally thinking about engineering but…"

She was halted by the look of complete disbelief on each girls face. Kelly's mouth opened in shock, "You thought about engineering?"

Why were they looking at her as if she had spiders crawling out of her face? "Actually I've been working on automail since I was young with my grandma. Lately I've been working on cars but going to school to be a doctor has been a new dream of mine." She admitted proudly.

Both of the girls stared at her for a second before dissolving into fits of laughter. "Working as a mechanic? Oh god you are too funny!" Regina continued to laugh.

"You really had us going there for a second!" Kelly added amidst her giggles. She reached out and pulled another girl over to them. "Noa you just have to meet this girl! She is such a doll!"

A girl with tan skin and long shiny brown hair stared her down with a mixture of curiosity and judgment. "What did you say your name was?"

Winry couldn't tell if the twins were being serious or whether they were just pulling her leg. Did they really believe she was making it all up? In the end she decided she really didn't care, she would be out of their house in a few minutes time anyways. "Winry Rockbell."

Noa's face split into a smile. "Rockbell? Any relation to Sarah Rockbell?"

How did she know her mother's name? "Sarah was my mother."

Noa exchanged a knowing glance with the twins before beaming at her. "You should have told us you were a legacy!"

"Excuse me?" What was a legacy?

"A legacy silly! Your mom was an Alpha Zeta, which means you are a legacy." She winked at her.

She still had no idea what that meant but she was having a hard time believing her mom had been an AZ. A pain ripped through her, she wouldn't really know what her mom was like.

Luckily Riza chose that moment to round up her group to go. Lost in her thoughts she answered vaguely to Rose's description of her perfect encounter. The next three houses passed by in a blur, each one a little different than the one before. But each time she found herself wondering about her mom, what else didn't she know about her?

At last they arrived at the final house. Rose pouted like a small child. "I wish we could just bail, I mean we already know which one we want!" She whispered into Winry's ear.

She looked up at the letters on the house, hearing Riza announce that Kappa Delta would be their last house. Surprisingly Winry found herself feeling a little at home as the girls of KD swamped them. Instantly she was introduced to one of the sweetest girls she had met all night.

"My name is Gracia." She smiled warmly. "I bet you're probably a little overwhelmed at this point, why don't you tell me what  _you_  want to know about us."

The question caught her off guard. Of all the houses they had been to the girls had primarily bragged about their status or pried into her social history. It took her a moment to think about it before she tried a question out that had been pulling at her thoughts. "Why did you join a sorority?"

Gracia smiled, but it wasn't the fake or forced gesture she had seen so many times that night. "It's weird I never thought I would join a sorority." She admitted. "But when I met these girls I knew this is exactly what I wanted to do. From day one these girls have helped me with my classes, inspired me to get involved in service projects and really helped me to see my own potential." Her face began to turn pink, "I know it sounds corny but before I met these girls I didn't have a lot of self-confidence and I never did anything really worthwhile. I'm a senior this year and I really can't imagine what my life would have been like without Kappa Delta."

It may have been her first time meeting Gracia but by the end of the house round she felt like they were old friends. Something about the way she spoke about her sorority sparked her curiosity. Gracia was also from the country and when she spoke about baking pies with her grandma Winry almost felt like she could taste it. Maybe they weren't  _all_ bad. It wasn't just Gracia that changed her mind. In just Kappa Delta alone she had met Bunny, a track and field star obsessed with sports, and Rebecca a loud and life of the party kind of girl. She hated to admit it, but it was easy to picture herself there amongst friends.

**(Rose)**

"Oh god, absolutely not. Nope. Horrible." Rose crossed off three of the sororities right off the bat, her hand hesitating on the last two. She peeked over at Winry's list noticing that all except the last two were crossed off too.

Kappa Delta girls seemed pretty down to earth, but she knew what her first choice would be. Putting a one by Alpha Zeta and a two by Kappa Delta she turned in her sheet to Riza. She wondered which sorority Riza was from. The idea that someone like her was a member at all was astounding.

"Winry." She chided upon catching a glimpse of her final numbering. "You don't have to be modest; you can put Alpha Zeta as your number one. I mean you're practically one of them already!" She couldn't believe her roommate didn't know that she was a legacy. If it had been her, she would have announced it in the beginning. 

Her roommate frowned, her eyes downcast. "I think it was a mistake."

"What? How many Sarah Rockbell's do you think your mom went to school with?" She laughed loudly unaware of the faraway look in the girls blue eyes.

"I can't wait for tomorrow!" This was all so exciting and a wonderful way to put her worries at ease. This was exciting and it felt nice to look forward to something again. Just being caught up in the excitement of recruitment easily put her horrible weekend to rest, the images fading into the background. In less than a week she would an AZ and then things would finally start to look up. She wondered why Winry wasn't more excited. If her mom had been an Alpha Zeta she would have bragged for hours. Funny, she wondered why Winry had never mentioned her parents before.

**(Olivier)**

The corners of her mouth turned down in a scowl. "We aren't wasting a potential spot on an Alpha Zeta legacy." It was non negotiable. Legacies were top priority and were guaranteed a bid. But of course she could almost feel the distress radiating from Gracia. Contrary to popular belief Oliver did not consider herself a complete ice queen. Instead of finalizing the argument she opened the floor for discussion as a sign of respect to her Vice President. As expected Gracia was the first to speak.

"I think you guys are wrong, she's nothing like those girls. If we don't extend her an invitation back we will truly be the ones missing out. Winry is bright, kind and I think she could really benefit from joining us. You always ask us to trust one another, so I'm asking you to trust me. Winry won't accept a bid from Alpha Zeta, I just know it."

Olivier looked around the room, she might be president, but there was something about Gracia that eluded her. She didn't speak out often, but when she did everyone listened. Olivier was all about timeliness so she decided to put it to a vote. "All those in favor?"

A majority of hands raised around her. Olivier placed Winry's rating card in the acceptance pile, "Looks like we will be inviting her back tomorrow."


	4. Hell Week pt.1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What would you do to join?

**(Edward)**

He wasn't sure how many guys surrounded them, but he did know that the measly twenty, including himself, were no match. At first, he had been a little thrown off but he could have sworn he heard Havoc's unmistakable voice at one point. It was obvious that this wasn't some random setup; just hearing Havoc's voice was enough of a confirmation. This was pledge night.

One of the bigger guys stepped forward, his face still masked under the hood. "From this night on we weed out the weak from the strong. Only the best are BTA material and the rest should prepare to beg for our mercy." He threw his hood back a smirk on his face. "I'm Breda, but around here I'm your pledge master and you will address me as pledge master."

 Edward's attitude usually got him in trouble, second to his mouth, this time was no different. Ed stared back at him unfazed. Aside from being hungry, tired and a bit irritated he didn't find him intimidating.

"Name." Breda questioned him, his face only inches away.

"Ed."

"Edward what?" The pledge master commanded.

"Elric and it's not Edward it's just Ed." He wasn't fond of being addressed by his full name.

Breda narrowed his eyes and yanked at Edward's shirt sleeve; revealing the automail arm underneath. "Automail huh? So, you think you're a tough guy?" His tone left no room for objections.

A year ago, Edward would have reacted differently, he probably would have decked this guy in the face, but they had him intrigued as to what this was all about. Holding back his fist was almost as exhausting as holding back his tongue. The pledge master looked like he was waiting for either reaction, when it appeared, he wasn't going to receive any he smirked at the lot of them.

"We don't haze here…we build character." Breda grinned, "If you can't handle it, there's the door."

"You." He stopped his pacing in front of one of the pledges. "What's your name?"

"Denny."

"Denny, do you want to be a member of BTA?"

The guy looked wearily around, but his expression steeled as he spoke. "Yes."

_"Yes what?"_

Ed snapped his head in the direction of the new voice. How had he not noticed this guy? He was the only member wearing black robes instead of blue. A strange marking on his gloved hands caught his attention. Edward watched closely as the blond guy's larynx bobbed in his attempt to swallow. "Yes, I want to be a member of BTA." He proclaimed albeit shaky.

The black hooded stranger pushed his hood back and instantly the rest of the members followed suit. It was clear from the looks on their faces that he was the highest-ranking member in the room.

"One week." He pronounced loudly, "One week for you to show us the kind of men you are. Line up."

The pledges slowly formed a straight line in the middle of the circle; each man's face a perfect mirror of the other as they looked nervously around.

"On your hands and knees." He barked off.

A few of the guys dropped hastily, Edward leered at the man before reluctantly dropping to his hands. "Push up position, count em' off!"

The group came together slowly at first but unanimously as they continued. "…eighteen…nineteen…"

Ed let out a loud grunt as he felt a weight drop onto his back.

"Did I say stop?" Breda joined in.

Ignoring the added weight, he felt the need to show off his strength, not allowing it to deter him in the least.

The guy in the black cloak paced their ranks watching them closely, eyeing them for any sign of weakness. "Loyalty, bravery and honor. These are your truths, the very core of your being. You are no longer the pathetic nobodies floating through mediocrity. If you make it through this week you will be more than a man, you'll be a legend. "

The silence between his words was filled with the labored breathing of the pledges as they struggled to keep counting off each set of pushups. Ed could hear his metal appendage protest under the strain of prolonged usage, his current model needed work. He should have found a mechanic by now; his arm had been giving him problems and this wasn't helping. Lucky for him the pledge master looked satisfied with their performance.

"On your feet." He held an identical copy of the book on each of their backs in his hands. "This book contains the prestigious history of Beta Tau Alpha and what it means to be a brother in this fraternity. During this week if you fail to have this book on you or if you cannot answer a question about its contents you're out. It's a privilege to be a pledge of BTA. This book and you are now best friends; you will take care of it and it will take care of you. Keep it with you at all times, read it, learn it, live it. You will stay in this house for the next week, you will answer every request with  _yes sir_  and of course since you are the bottom of the food chain around here you will work for food. This is hell week ladies, either you make it or you don't."

**(Winry)**

It was preference night, the last night of formal recruitment before the final bid day. Each sorority had two rounds during preference in which they could invite girls. Each girl going through recruitment could end up with eight preference invites or as some found out none at all. But at the end of the day the girls going through could only go to two preference parties. At first Winry was appalled at the idea of a preference "party", she was under the impression that was supposed to be an intimate gathering, not a party. Luckily her rho chi leader Riza had been rather administrative in explaining the formalities of preference in great detail and length.

There she was, in a dress and heels, a walking contradiction to her normal coveralls. It felt distinctly uncharacteristic and humbling to sit around waiting for the preference invites to be passed out, each second giving way to unanswered worries. Riza appeared at last, her hands full of invites she slowly passed out. Winry closed her eyes, what if there were none for her?  _Stupid thought Winry_. _If there are no invites then there are no obligations and you can forget the whole thing._  

Unfortunately, there were two envelopes extended towards her and now instead of running away Winry needed to make a decision. Tonight, she would get an intimate look at Alpha Zeta and Kappa Delta. A small voice piped up that maybe she would share an experience her mother once had. There was no question about it, Kappa Delta fit her better than any sorority on campus. The girls were down to earth, driven, kind and just being around them made her feel like home. Nervously she fidgeted with the hem of her dress as they sat waiting for the start of the first preference party. She was standing outside Alpha Zetas doors; about to enter a world her mom had once called home, a sisterhood she had once called her own. Choosing Kappa Delta meant turning her back on a living link to her mother, a connection to something she thought had been lost. She could follow in her mother's footsteps and carry out her legacy. That's what she was supposed to do, right?

Before she had a chance to mull over the heart tugging decision in front of her, the doors were opened and she was awed into silence. The girls were led into the center of a large circle one after another. The AZ members surrounded them, each member dressed in form fitting black dresses. Winry stood awkwardly amongst the other potential members as the Alpha Zeta's began to sing a hauntingly familiar song, a song she remembered. Her throat tightened as the words filtered through her nerves. Winry felt her heart at her feet, her mother used to sing it to her as a child.

Through the dim lighting they turned as a voice broke the silence that had fallen when the song ended. Noa's face was illuminated by the candle in her hands. "Tonight, we have invited you to our preference party. We have invited you to join us for a brief glimpse into our sisterhood, into our ritual. While not all of you will become our sisters, we still say EVOLENO, EFILENO. We strive for greatness, we don't settle for ordinary, we push for extraordinary."

Winry felt mildly uncomfortable and wondered if this was normal on any level.  _How long was each preference supposed to last anyways?_

One by one each girl passed the candle repeating the same phrase. "Beauty, power, success."

The mantra continued until at last it arrived in Noa's hands once again. Stepping forward she stood in front of each girl, pausing to stare into the eyes of each potential member as she repeated the phrase delivering one word for each girl. "Success." She spoke to Winry, winking slightly before taking a step towards the next girl. The rest of the ceremony was filled with different blurbs about the power of beauty and the prestige of Alpha Zeta. Before they ushered the group of girls from the room each potential new member was taken aside by a member to talk one last time. Sure enough Winry found Noa heading her way, lacing her arm through hers.

"Let's have a little chat." She spoke confidently as she walked her over to a deserted corner. "So, are you excited to be an Alpha Zeta?"

Huh? The sororities were not supposed to give out real bids to girls until after both preference parties. "But we don't get our bids until tomorrow morning?"

Noa gave a twittering laugh. "Oh please, don't be so naive. You're a legacy Winry, a sure thing. You don't need to worry." She frowned at one of the girls nearby, "God her dress is horrid."

Horrid? The dress was a little plain, but it wasn't horrible. Her heart sank, what could her mother have seen in this? Winry wasn't sure what she expected it to be like, but it was different in ways that made her distinctly uncomfortable. Nowhere in their singing, speeches and fake smiles did she feel anything close to sisterhood. She had never had sisters, but Winry couldn't imagine it felt like that. She fidgeted nervously, waiting for the time when she would finally be free from their penetrating stares.

"Well that girl is definitely not getting a bid." Noa remarked casually, not bothering to make sure she kept her voice down. She turned back to Winry after one last distasteful frown in the girl's direction, "What was I saying?"

She had half a mind to walk out the doors of the building and never come back. Noa wasn't just a mean girl in the sorority; she was the president of Alpha Zeta. Wasn't she supposed to be the role model? It was terribly disappointing to find out that the stereotype was alive and well. Her hands twitched and Winry wished she had brought her wrench, might make this moment easier to handle. Mercifully there were only a few more painstaking minutes to endure before she was finally led from the room. Discouraged and disillusioned she tried to keep the soft lull of her mother's voice from invading her thoughts. It didn't matter what sorority her mother had been in; Alpha Zeta was not a place she wanted to be. As she walked towards the room for Kappa Delta's preference Rose snagged her arm.

"So how was it?" She exclaimed, barely able to contain her enthusiasm.

It was like watching a balloon deflate as she recounted her experience. Rose looked mildly confused before her face twitched in suspicion, "How can you talk about them so badly, wasn't your mom an AZ?"

Winry wasn't sure how to answer that, had her mom been just like Noa? Would she have been horrified to see her daughter working on automail, the type of girl who got dirty, the type of girl who thought beauty wasn't everything? She didn't want to believe her mother had ever been that shallow.

"You're right. I just don't think I get this whole sorority thing yet." She spouted off, not wanting to debate something that was hurting her. The comfort of knowing her mother would be proud of her was fading fast. She was starting to feel as if going through sorority recruitment was one the worst decisions she had ever made.

"Winry, are you alright?" Riza asked abruptly.

The truthful concern in her eyes brought up the emotion that had been lurking around, the overwhelming urge to put as much space between this reality and the initial dream she had started to hold onto. "I can't do it."

The normally stern looking girl sighed softly before patting the seat next to her. Reluctantly Winry sat down, not sure what her rho chi could say that would make her stay.

"I thought the same thing." She smiled in her direction before facing front again. "I like rules, I like loyalty and fairness. I thought sororities were all alike, but the truth is that there is always an exception to every rule. Don't give up just yet."

Winry sighed, already knowing in her mind what she was going to do. Under Riza's watchful eye she knew making a run for it wouldn't do, she had to go to the last round before throwing in the towel. She had gone this far, it would be a shame to walk away now.

Her nerves flared up again as she stood outside the Kappa Delta room, would they prove to be just as disappointing?

When the doors opened, she found herself once again awed by the scene in front of her. Instead of being surrounded the girls brought them into their circle, accepting them amongst their ranks as if they were already members. Winry had to admit the president of Kappa Delta was still rather intimidating. Olivier stepped forward, the candle in her hands reminding Winry of AZ, but the comparisons ended as soon as the words began to leave the presidents mouth.

"We ask that you join our sisterhood circle, a place that has no beginning and thus no end. It symbolizes the bonds between our sisters and the never-ending love we share for the one thing that has brought us all together."

Girls began to step forward then, each speaking before stepping back into the circle. She identified Rebecca as one of the first, the ongoing monologue flowing from one girl to the next.

"I will always be there."

"When you need me."

"If times are hard."

"If times are happy."

"I will help pick you up when you fall."

"I will remind you that you deserve better, that you are good enough."

"KD is where I was meant to be."

"You help me see the good in everything."

"You prove that beauty is most powerful when it comes from within."

"It's showing me how to make a difference."

"It's teaching me how to walk so I can run."

"It's learning that everyone makes mistakes."

"It's learning to forgive."

"It's learning to be brave when I'm scared."

Olivier had a radiant smile which strangely made her appear kinder. "But most of all it is learning to take those small steps into our future with our heads held high, the world in our hands and a sisterhood of support on which we stand."

Of course, there was singing but Winry didn't feel the haunting familiarity of a voice lost. All she heard was the symphony of sound, a chorus of voices all coming together, singing with a passion of heart for their sisterhood. When at last Winry thought it was over she saw an older looking member take the candle from the president's hands. Looking a little unsure she clutched at the candle, her eyes looking a little watery.

"As a senior I know this will be my last preference, but my journey has seemed so short." Her voice quivered a little as she continued; the candle flickering in her hands softly illuminated the tears trickling down her cheeks. "These girls are the reason I made it through college, Kappa Delta is the reason I found them. But no matter the year I see that I am not the only one moved by what these girls have done and what they will do. I walked in unsure and hesitant, now I leave with confidence in not only myself but the sisterhood I will always carry with me. While I might travel far, I will always hold you near. To you girls new to our circle we want to share with you the courage of heart, the fulfillment of knowledge, and the trusting loyalty of sisterhood. Tonight, you make a decision that will forever change your life, I can only say that my decision brought me to Kappa Delta and I have never been happier."

Winry could feel the emotion around the room as girls bit back sobs, the true meaning of their sisterhood radiating around her. Maybe preference changed her mind or maybe she had known from the start.

**(Rose)**

Sorority recruitment was the best decision she had ever made. The second round of preference was ten times better than the first. Rose chatted animatedly with a girl named Kelly and her twin sister Regina. The three found a common distaste for the rather embarrassingly fake Prada heels one of the girls behind them was sporting.

"Thank god we don't give out bids until preference is over." Regina remarked shamelessly. "I would die if someone like that was wearing our letters."

Rose laughed together with the two of them enjoying the feeling of belonging. She wanted to be an AZ more than ever. Her thoughts drifted back to her roommate, the poor girl was hopeless when it came to this stuff. Good thing she was a legacy, she would at least be guaranteed a bid.

The sense of fitting in made her feel whole again, made the fruitless nights with random guys drift far away. If she was an Alpha Zeta, she could feel proud of herself again, she could stop drinking away past mistakes. It blew her mind that Winry was still mulling over her decision like it was  _hard_.

"You sure about this?" She asked Winry as they walked back to their dorm together.

The blond girl remained silent for a moment before running a hand through her long locks, exhaling softly. "Yeah, I'm sure."

"Really? Even your mom  _was_ an Alpha Zee."

Looking pensive her roommate frowned for a second, "I don't remember a lot about my mom but if being a sister of Alpha Zeta was that important to her, she would understand why this decision is important to me. Kappa Delta just feels like home and I think that's what I need right now."

Maybe having her roommate pick a different sorority than her wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Rose could stand out here without any competition. It was about having a good time and enjoying every moment. They had a lifetime of making boring decisions and worrying about the future. Rose picked a place that would make her college experience one she would never forget. She ignored the voice that reminded her of the events she had recently tried in vain to forget. This wouldn't be anything like that.

**(Edward)**

Wiping his brow, he grumbled something about disgusting, no good bastards under his breath before plunging his sponge back into the now tinted water. The once soapy solution was now an unpleasant shade of grayish brown. Dumping the dirty water down the drain Ed paused to admire the shiny floors. Not too damn bad!

"Hey pledge!"

Ed grimaced, his muscles feeling fatigue from the long hours of cleaning. His hopes that the brother calling out to him was actually referring to another one of the twenty pledges died fast as he heard his nickname ring loud and clear.

"Fullmetal!"

He ground his teeth to hold in a sarcastic remark before answering, any other response would take away the dinner that had been sitting in front of them for hours. "Yes sir?" 

"You can eat now."

Ed looked up at the brother's face, the black glasses giving him an older and sophisticated look that didn't quite match up with the pledge master who was currently shoveling food into his mouth as if he hadn't eaten in years. While the feast that had been slowly infiltrating the house with its delectable smell had been taunting, Edward hesitated. Weird, he NEVER paused when it came to food. Unfortunately, his experience thus far made him falter because something about this didn't sit right. He might have hauled ass to finish cleaning the floors, but the other pledges had yet to walk through. As hungry as he was, he didn't feel right eating before the other pledges did.

"It can wait. Denny's still cleaning the bathroom, isn't he?"

The BTA brother shifted from one foot to the other, his eyes narrowed. "You're going to help him? Why not just eat, you did earn it.”

"Yeah well, we're supposed to be brothers, right? The food is probably already cold anyways, doesn't really make that much of a difference whether I get some now or later." He hoped the older brother read into his sarcasm and didn't think too far into it. He didn't want guys to think he was a goody two shoes for wanting to help his pledge brothers out.

"Denny's done, he's actually helping some of the other guys out back."

Ed took one last longing look at the food before heading out back. He would have to help because he wasn't going to go back on his word.

**(Roy)**

"Think they're all gonna last?" Roy asked smartly as he laid on the chase lounge watching the pledges prune the bushes and pull weeds. The place had been in bad shape for a while; the last pledge class had been months ago.

"Yes."

Pushing the sunglasses down his nose he watched as two girls walked by on the sidewalk. He admired their figures, quirking a grin as they waved shyly at him before turning to each other giggling madly. Yeah, this was the life. "What makes you think so?" He asked thoughtfully.

His best friend smiled, "Not one of them fell for it. None of them have eaten."

Of course, the real test wasn't to see if they could clean. It was a setup, a test to see if these guys would work together or if they would let their gluttony and greed get the best of them. But if Maes said not one of them fell for it, then this might just get a little more interesting. "I'm assuming Breda has already disposed of what little food there was." He added sarcastically.

Maes adjusted his glasses on his face looking a little upset at the prospect of having to find food. "Looks like we are going to have to fend for ourselves, Gracia is busy with recruitment I can't ask her to cook us anything else."

Roy knew better than to comment on the subject of Gracia, he had learned freshman year that even speaking her name could prompt him into hours of devout worshipping of his divine Gracia. She was a great girl, he had no problem with his best friend dating her…he just didn't want to hear the mushy details of every waking moment in their lives.

"Get Breda, I think it's time for garbage disposal."

Maes made a face before breaking out in laughter. "I remember making you do that."

Stepping out into the backyard Roy grinned widely, the place was immaculate. Looking around he spied the pledges relaxing in the shade. Hell is they didn't look completely spent, the exhaustion clearly written on their faces. He almost felt sympathetic, but he remembered his hell week and this seemed incredibly mild in comparison. The sky was already turning dark as he looked around the grounds.

"Congrats pledges. You've just made it through day one of hell week."

A few of the pledges rubbed their temples while others looked on weakly.

"Now, I believe we did promise you could earn your stay and you certainly have. So, on behalf of the brothers we would like to invite you to what we during hell week like to call garbage disposal." Roy glanced out of the corner of his eye at the pledge with long blond hair, not missing the calculating look. He was definitely someone to keep an eye out for, he wasn't about to let some punk join the organization he had worked hard to help build up.

Breda walked out, obviously still nursing a full stomach. "Good, we need to clean out the fridge."

Glancing at his watch Roy smirked at the twenty confused looking pledges. "You have two hours to dispose of everything in the fridge. Only there's one catch."

Maes grimaced looking only sorry that he had to be the one to tell them. "You have to try everything at least once before throwing it out."

One of their newest members, Mason stepped forward to pat a pledge on the back, "Don't worry the boys haven't stocked that fridge in a month…though I can't imagine they threw out anything since then either."

The pledges turned a little paler as they stared uncertainly at each other.

Roy checked his watch again, "You have till 9pm."

**(Leto)**

Leto watched as Noa withered under him, her eyes shut in pleasure. The sight was usually something he enjoyed, but he was feeling off today. When it was over, he didn't bother pretending to cuddle before he began to pull his pants back on.

"Where are you going?" She asked, her voice laced with fake sweetness, she was pissed.

Leto wanted to tell her that he was bored but that felt cruel. "I got business."

Her eyes narrowed a little, the pale skin wrinkling around her brow. "At 1am?"

This was the reason he liked freshman girls, they didn't ask questions and they didn't stay long in the morning. His thoughts strayed back to the feisty brown-haired girl with pink streaks in her hair. The resemblance between her and Noa was startling, but she had a different kind of spunk to her. She didn't call, she didn't whine and she certainly hadn't asked questions as annoying as this one.

Pulling a shirt over his head decided he was annoyed enough to tell her the truth. "Listen Noa, it's been fun, but l don't do this whole relationship thing."

He almost regretted his words at the splash of anger on her face, it made him wish he could have squeezed in one more time before calling it a night. Anger made her stand offish, unapproachable, it made her more of a challenge and he liked that.

"You're a liar. We've been going out for a year and you say this now?"

Had it really been a year? It was hard to imagine that their meetups had spanned that length of time; especially when he thought of all the signatures on his wall back at the Delta Tau house. Not to mention the fact that nearly half the signatures on his wall alone were from girls in her sorority. Maybe some people were better with secrets than others. He finished slipping on his shoes and began to walk out of her room.

"What are you doing?" She hissed loudly at him as he opened the door to the hallway.

"Leaving." He offered simply.

Her eyes flashed, "You can't just dump me in the middle of the night!"

Leto had a good laugh at that one. "I just did."

The walk home was rather pleasant, his thoughts flashed back to the girl with pink streaks in her hair. She had signed her name as Rose but the girl was so drunk, he couldn't be sure she even remembered her name at that point. He whistled at some of the Alpha Zeta girls walking down the street immediately warming to the short skirts and receptive eyes.

He couldn't help himself, "What are you ladies doing out so late?"

As they approached, he couldn't control the immediate lust that surged through him, twins? He had been cooped up with Noa for too long, how had he let a set of twins escape his sight?

"Just finished getting our bid day stuff together."

Leto smiled. Aside from welcome week, bid day was his favorite part of college. All the new freshman girls joining sororities; so eager to impress. Good thing he had left the planning of the annual bid day party in his vice president's hands. It was tradition that the DT men hosted a welcoming bash for all the new members of AZ.

"Any new girls I might know?" He mused thoughtfully.

One of the twins handed him the stack of photos, making it easy for him to imagine what the next night might have in store. His hand paused on one picture, his grin widening. This was too good. Staring back at him from the photo was the very girl he had been imagining. "Looks like this year is going to be your best yet."


	5. Hell Week pt.2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Find those who complete you, fill in all your dark spaces with light.

**(Edward)**

"You look terrible."

Edward slid his palm down his face, staring at Winry through half closed eyes. "I don't ever want to look at food again."

Winry stared at the experiment in front of them, "Come on  _garbage disposal_  we need to finish our lab."

"Ugh." He moaned as his stomach churned. "How did you know about that?"

The young girl pushed her ponytail over her shoulder, "Word travels fast and apparently in the Greek world there are no secrets." Her eyes twinkled with jest. "Actually…" She laughed sympathetically, "Havoc warned me this morning to wear something I wouldn't mind getting puked on." Her nose wrinkled up at the thought. "You're not going to puke, are you?"

He felt a little perturbed by this, taking a moment before opening his eyes fully to look her straight on. "You talk to Havoc?" A jealous twinge put off his churning stomach for the moment. Since when did Winry talk with Havoc? The guy didn't talk to girls with the intention of just being friends.

Her gaze shifted away from him and Edward immediately jumped to a rather disturbing conclusion.  _How in the hell did Havoc snag a girl like Winry?_

"Ok, so that wasn't entirely why he came to talk to me."

His stomach flipped again, an image of the moldy banana flashed through his head. Taking a slow and steady breath he tried not to remember the taste or the smell. "Tell me you are not going out on a date with Jean." He barked out in disbelief.

Her face turned red, "No!" Frowning, she grabbed his arm making his own cheeks flush. "Why didn't you tell me you needed a mechanic?" She asked looking hurt.

Of all the things to come out of her mouth he had not been expecting that. His automail was way overdue for service, but what could she do to help?

"You're such an idiot." She muttered looking sternly at his metal appendage as she pulled up his sleeve. "You do know that my grandma is the number one automail mechanic around, right?"

Rockbell? He swallowed nervously, "Pinako Rockbell is  _your_  grandmother?" The woman's reputation preceded her in many ways, none of which appealed to him at the moment.

Her narrowed blue eyes obviously caught the hint of fear in his voice, "What's with the tone?"

"Look, I appreciate the suggestion, but with this whole Hell week thing and class I don't think a trip to Resembool is a good idea." He wouldn't mention the other reasons why visiting Resembool didn't appeal to him.

"It's nice to know you listened to me." She rolled her eyes, "I'm an automail mechanic Ed. I've grown up working with automail my whole life. And-" She paused for a brief second giving his arm a quick look, "It looks like you need a mechanic."

 _Do all boys with automail dream of having a hot blonde work on them or was that a personal fantasy?_   Edward could feel his ears burn, she would have to strip him down to nothing if she was going to work on all of his automail. "And what's in it for you?"

"I don't work for free Ed. Besides, your brother is worried about you." She added looked concerned herself.

What the hell? How did she know he had a kid brother? "How did you know I have a brother?"

Her mouth quirked up to the side, "Havoc was worried about you, isn't he your fraternity brother?"

Right, it was impossible for her to know about Al. That was one subject he didn't bring to the table. "Yeah, well he's not my brother yet. I still have to make it through hell week."

Winry poured the contents of the solution into their beaker. "Hell week huh?"

"Whoa!" Ed caught her wrist before she could pour the second solution in. His gaze shifted from the experiment to her blue eyes as she took in a subtle breath of surprise. "Sorry, you can't mix that in just yet."

Her mouth opened slightly, "Oh, sorry. Thanks." She glanced down at his hand which was currently still holding her wrist.

"Right." He pulled away, all thoughts of hell week and his brother left in the dust.

"Guess I should be paying more attention to what I'm doing." Winry blushed apologetically.

"Yeah." Ed watched as she turned to put the right solution in. With hell week on his mind he had forgotten a certain night, one in which nothing happened. But did it make him an absolute creep to kind of wish it had?

"So, about that arm of yours." Winry asked hesitantly, "You still looking for a mechanic?"

Ed shrugged off thoughts of Winry as anything but a friend, she was too good for the images his mind was lewdly putting together. "If you're up for it."

He liked the way she smiled, "Ok, but on one condition." Her eyes sparkled, "You finish this lab before I blow something up."

Laughing, he grinned at her. "Deal."

**(Winry)**

"Okay, spill Rockbell." Rose plopped down on their dorm room floor a magazine opened in front of her.

Winry snapped out of her daze, pushing her drawings to the side. "What?"

"I know you get a kick out of designing automail and working on cars, but this is just weird."

"How is this weird?" Her roommate could be highly judgmental sometimes.

Her left eyebrow raised, "Believe me, I know that look. I just can't believe you're wasting the 'I'm crushing hard' look on some automail designs. So, spill it Winry, who are these for?"

Winry thought about explaining the pride that she felt in creating limbs but it would never do the feeling justice. How could Rose understand the creativity and love that goes into making something with your own hands. That and this particular piece of work was for Edward and she wanted him to know that she was talented. Not that it really mattered what he thought, she knew she had skill, but she had to be his lab partner for the rest of the year. It was just good form and good business to make  _his_  the best.  _Yeah, that was exactly why she was spending so much time on it._

"It's already too late." Rose pouted shaking her head. "So, who is it?"

Winry sighed leaning back in her chair, "I'm not crushing. We have bid day tonight, I'm about to join a sorority, I have chemistry homework, a medical career to think about and I need to work on this automail for Ed. I don't have time to be crushing."

"I knew it!" Rose jumped to her feet, her expression smug. "I knew you liked Edward Elric!"

Winry could feel the tips of her ears turning red and it made her feel silly. This was a boy, a boy she knew practically nothing about. Maybe she was just infatuated with his automail. "Look at the time! We need to get ready for bid day. What are you wearing?"

"I'm not falling for that, you can't fool me with fashion diversions." She insisted impatiently.

Chewing on her bottom lip Winry stared back at her automail design. "We're just lab partners."

"Lab partners? Oh, come on Winry, you act like any type of fun whether it’s going out or crushing on boys is some kind of sin. And trust me, I grew up in a strictly religious home so I know the feeling. Why can't you just let loose?" She blinked prettily.

 _When your parents are dead and you left your grandma all alone just to chase your dream it doesn't feel fair to have fun._ Instead Winry headed over to their closet. "Well let's have some fun then, help me pick out an outfit for tonight."

Rose jumped up, her hands up in celebration. "That's what I'm talking about!"

**(Riza)**

Riza watched as Winry signed her bid for Kappa Delta. The past month had been strangely challenging and humbling to say the least. Taking on a position as a rho chi meant giving up your letters for one month in order to lead groups of potential new members through recruitment without biasing them. A key part of giving up your sorority letters was giving up any and all contact with your sisters. At first Riza didn't see what the holdup was, it was only a month. Then the days went by and things came up but she couldn't stop by the house and she couldn't call. The girls in her group had begged and pleaded with her to tell them which sorority was hers, but Riza had stoically remained silent. Rules were rules. Anyone who really knew her would have picked up on it immediately, but she was confident that the subtle way she smiled at Winry wouldn't give it away. Until the very end she would keep her sorority a secret. It was hard to hide her surprise that her favorite rho chi baby hadn't gone to Alpha Zeta. AZ's could be very persuasive and Riza thought being a legacy might have a bit of sway. It was quite satisfying to watch Winry push away the AZ bid card and sign her sorority's card.

In less than a few minutes they would all walk to the football field where bid day would officially start. The process was exciting for everyone as those sororities who gave out bids would wait to see if they were accepted. The sororities were waiting, grouped together, on the football field. There were banners, block letters, balloons and spectators. A strange kind of lump began to form at the back of her throat as she watched the girls, she had taken under her wing line up. Per tradition the girls were grouped or would stand alone to step forward, state their name and proudly declare what sorority they had chosen. Obviously, they could only choose a sorority that had extended them a bid, but many girls received more than one bid. It was nostalgic to watch her sorority sisters waiting anxiously to see if the bids they sent out were accepted.

As a Rho Chi she already knew that at least five of their bids had been turned down, but the 25 that had accepted were a blessing in disguise. She was admittedly not too happy about her chapter giving out a bid to a few girls she found to be rather questionable. Nothing personal, but she wasn't so sure girls like Rose really held their values close to their heart. They read Alpha Zeta from the minute Riza laid eyes on them; she wondered how her sisters couldn't see it? Despite her reluctance to stereotype sororities it was no secret that an Alpha Zee was as easy as 1, 2, 3.

But this wasn't just any bid day; this was the day she got to return home. Formal recruitment was almost over and thus her job as a Rho Chi was coming to an end. Once all the girls declared their sorority, she and the rest of the Rho Chis, would declare theirs. She wasn't much for displaying emotion but there was no holding back the wet trails that ran down her cheeks when her sisters raced forward to collect her back into their arms.

**(Roy Mustang)**

"Hey Elric, give me the founders." Roy barked off lazily as he caught the pledge walking past the living room.

Halting in his tracks the younger man looked over his shoulder. "Wilson, Bartlet, Armstrong and Thompson."

Smartass, but he knew how to deal with the snarky ones. "Looks like you just signed yourself up for the skinny run."

"What? The skinny run? I just named all four!" He exclaimed, the cool demeanor slipping from his face.

Oh, this was too good. The other pledges he had asked today hadn't been able to name more than two but this Elric kid had come so damn close. Too bad, so sad. "If you had really read your pledge book you would have known that no pledge is allowed to address a founder by just their last name. Sorry shorty looks like you're going to be joining your pledge brothers tonight." He must have already heard what the skinny run was because his face had gone awfully pale.

His mouth twitched like he was going to fire back, but he seemed to think better of it. Being the president of BTA had its benefits. Watching pledges bite back their remarks was most assuredly one of them.

"You're evil." Hughes commented under his breath.

"The devil himself." He replied back easily.

Hughes flopped down next to him on the couch, resting his feet on the coffee table. "I have to admit Elric has been one tough egg to crack. I tried everything from section five of our bylaws to the number of members the original chapter had. How the hell did you stump him on the founders?" He asked adjusting the black frame of his glasses as he looked at the TV.

Roy knew the other pledges had all failed at some point to answer correctly a question a brother had asked of them. Elric just happened to be the only one left who hadn't struck out. "I did the kid a favor, now he can join his pledge brothers in a great bonding activity."

Hughes scoffed, "Yes, I'm sure he will thank you later for making him run naked to the KD house and back."

"If he doesn't thank me, the girls should."

The two enjoyed a good laugh before getting lost in the rest of the football game on TV. Things were heating up around campus and it felt good to be back. Breda's new addition to the skinny run left him feeling very smug. The boys were in for a little surprise this year. A few guys stopped by and joined them for the rest of the game but everyone had their eye on the clock. Tonight’s hell night activity would test the boys in a different way.  After his favorite meal was prepared by one promising pledge, he was feeling ready for the days challenge to finally start. He sat like a king to a throne on the opened tailgate of Havocs truck, watching as Breda prepared the pledges for the skinny run.

"You have ten minutes to run to the Kappa Delta house and back." Breda jabbed a thumb over his shoulder eluding towards their running path.

A pledge Roy recognized as Denny looked way too relieved at the relatively modest time given for the distance. But he would savor the look that came next as Breda finished explaining the new additions to the skinny run.

"Not only do you have to run naked to the KD house and back but you need to tie one of these ties to the second-floor balcony."

They would definitely thank him later; though he probably should have warned Riza that the boys would be stopping by to drop off their ties…and that a good portion of them would be naked. The usual tie affair happened after every bid day, each Kappa Delta girl would pick one of the ties hanging from the balcony and that would be their date for the night. But it was time they spice things up a bit, he would make sure no one forgot the year he was president.

Standing up Roy smirked down at the pledges, "You heard the man your ten minutes starts-" He glanced at the time on his phone. "…NOW!"

**(Winry)**

Winry leaned up against one of the couches in the living room of the Kappa Delta house, her mouth hurting from smiling so much. When her Rho Chi leader Riza had run towards the rest of her new KD sisters it had only confirmed her decision. As the girls continued to talk around the room she happily turned when Gracia sat down next to her. The girl had nearly tackled her to the ground when she had shouted her choice on bid day.

Gracia beamed down at her, "You have no idea how happy I was when you said KD, I thought for sure you were going to choose Alpha Zeta."

"It was my mom's sorority, but that's just it…it was hers, not mine."

"Have you talked to her about it?" Gracia asked.

Winry bit the inside of her cheek, ignoring the hollow feeling in her stomach. "No, I haven't had the chance." She didn't want to pull that particular skeleton out of the closest, at least not on a day that was supposed to be happy.

"Don't sweat it, my mom wasn't too thrilled I decided to join a sorority, but when I showed her all the good things, we do she got over it." Gracia tried to ease her worries.

A loud scream dragged everyone from their conversations as Rebecca stumbled backwards from the window, her eyes wide.

Olivia, looking as intimidating as always strode over quickly, no sign of fear for the unknown. Rebecca pointed a shaky finger towards what looked like moving objects out in the dimly lit front yard. "Someone's out there."

"Should I call 911?" Gracia asked her hands already on her phone.

"No." Olivia frowned, her eyes narrowed. "We'll deal with this ourselves."

Winry followed Riza out the door her hand flying to her mouth as she noticed several naked males jumping down from their balcony. Her eyes missed the ties hanging from the railing; instead she caught sight of a familiar face, one that was just as surprised to see her as she was him.

"Edward?"

**(Edward)**

It would be the icing on the cake to find himself naked in front of not only a house full of sorority girls, but one girl in particular. His mouth hung open like a fish out of water. Even in the dark he knew she recognized him, even parts of him he had never introduced. The blush didn't have time to work itself up on his face before he felt someone shove against his back.

"Come on man, we have two minutes left!" Denny a fellow pledge bellowed.

Ed forced his embarrassment down and turned to run. If he didn't make it on time then the whole thing was pointless. He would have to do some explaining in chem lab the next morning.

Panting heavily, he tried his best to cover himself up as he stood amongst the rest of the pledges looking around desperately for their clothes. Of course, this had something to do with that bastard of a president. Roy was watching them from the front porch, an heir of amusement surrounding him and a couple of the older brothers that happened to be outside.

"Looks like you have all completed the skinny run, and with flying colors!" He glanced at his watch, "Though you'll have to thank Trevor over there for coming in 5 seconds over the time limit. Brothers stick together in this fraternity. On my count you all have 50 pushups."

Ed growled under his breath, "At least give us our clothes back."

A few other pledges murmured their agreement, several faces turning over their shoulder in expectation of a group of angry sorority girls. The girls did not seem too thrilled to have naked men trespassing on their property.

Breda appeared out of nowhere, a sandwich clutched in his hand, a few bites already taken out of it. "For interrupting my dinner make it 100 pushups, you'll get your clothes back as soon as you do."

Wanting to get the humiliation over with as soon as possible Ed dropped to his hands and began counting them off. There was three more days left of hell week, he was almost there. He would show that bastard Mustang that he could do it, no sweat.

**(Noa)**

Noa folded her arms across her chest as she checked the time on her phone for what felt like the hundredth time. She did not have the patience for this. "I said 11pm." She remarked distastefully as the last girl joined them, her face slightly red as if she had just run a marathon. "Nice of you to join us Tara." She let the sarcasm drip from her voice. "You can leave now."

The pledge looked up at her, her expression almost pleading in its disbelief but Noa didn't have time for tardiness.

"Please, you told me I had to change my outfit and my dorm is at least two miles from here." She practically begged.

The girl was border line size nine; this was really no place for her. Noa was planning on cutting off the riff raff sooner rather than later. Sometimes legacies slipped through, but she would make sure this girl never wore their letters. "I'm sorry, I'll repeat myself. I said you can leave." Noa finished, daring the girl to question her decision.

"I…I…" The girl fumbled for something to say but she never did talk back. Noa was sure she heard the sound of sobs as the girl fled the house.

Feeling satisfied for the moment she turned her attention back on the rest of the pledges. Walking up and down she scrutinized them with her eyes. "Wearing our letters is a privilege. We don't want just  _anyone_ to be an Alpha Zee. Elise it's called a bra, if we wanted to see a show, we'd go to the strip club." She could not believe how helpless some of these girls were, good thing they had her to guide them. "Stacy, flat shoes are for those of us who aren't short. Next time try heels, your legs look stumpy in those flats."

She continued to correct the girls until at last she hit the brown-haired girl with pink streaks in her hair. Normally racy colors for highlights spelled out trash, but Noa was particularly fond of this pledge, she would let it slide. The shiny sparkle of a Tiffany's bracelet caught her eye and she nodded. "Nice accessory Rose." Turning back to the group as a whole she smiled widely, the smile feeling almost foreign to her face. "Tonight, is the night we introduce you to the brothers of Delta Tau. It is incredibly important that you uphold our name, appearance is everything. I expect you all to wow our boys." She shared her smile with the active members of Alpha Zee. It was just a fact that the members of AZ were always dressed to impress, and they planned on keeping it that way.

"We'll be keeping tabs." The new member mom Kelli snickered, her twin smirking at her side.

As they approached the DT house, she noticed the party was already underway. Looking around she caught sight of just the man she was looking for. She latched herself onto the tall, dark haired man with a pout of her mouth. It felt wonderful to feel so many jealous pairs of eyes on them as he let his hand slide down her back, resting on her bottom.

"What are you girls waiting for?" She added impatiently as the pledges watched on in awe. She liked being envied, but she was rather hoping for some time with Leto. After their little argument Rose had worked her magic and he had seen the light. Lately it seemed like he was avoiding her, but she knew that it was just her imagination.  _No guy avoided her._

"What do you say we skip the party?" She whispered seductively into his ear.

Using his free hand to finish off the last of the beer in his solo cup he looked back at the keg on the back porch. "Later babe, why don't you make yourself useful and grab me another beer?"

Noa stood up straighter her eyes briefly flitting about to see if anyone had caught, he slight. Feeling bit unnerved she cleared her throat and pushed aside the feeling of rejection, he just wanted to party a little that's all. Fixing the smile on her face she planted a kiss on his lips before leaving his side to fill up his cup. Spying one of the pledges around the corner she thrust the cup into their hand. "Fill this."

The pledge looked a little scared but followed her orders dutifully. Noa smoothed out her skin-tight skirt, pushing her hair behind one ear, Leto was her boyfriend and she was the president of Alpha Zee. There was no room for second guessing choices she had long ago made. Snatching the full cup form the pledges hand she muttered thanks before trying to find Leto. The man shouldn't be that hard to find, but in the midst of the increasing mob she found herself being jerked and pushed around. Oh, she was in rare form tonight. She knew how to get a man's attention; she just needed a little help in order to ensure that Leto found her. Luckily, she spotted her favorite pledge walking by, this was too easy. Plucking her out of the crowd Noa pulled on Rose's hand. "Come on let's get this party started."

**(Rose)**

Rose took another shot of tequila, she was having a blast. Her whole life she had been stuck inside a little box, but with the world at her fingertips she wasn't about to hold back. Maybe she had run into some trouble when she first moved on campus, but now she was with her sisters. Not only that but it seemed like the President was taking a shine to her, she couldn't imagine a better night. Rose had been surprised to find Noa wasn't attached to her boyfriend but she had told her that she would rather spend the night with her sisters. Just being around Noa made her see what an incredible role model she was, this girl had everything.

"Take your shirt off!" One of the bigger guys yelled over the roar of the music.

Rose glanced at Noa who was already stripped down to her undergarments, her body positioned across the other half of the DT bar inside the house.

"Remember what I said Rose." Noa called over her shoulder. "It's just a body shot."

One of the DT brothers placed a full shot glass between her legs before placing a trail of salt up her torso followed by the lime in her mouth. Noa took the lime out of her mouth for a second, winking in Rose's direction. "Watch and learn."

A very willing guy bent over her using his mouth to pull the shot from between her legs before tossing his head back to down the liquor. From there she watched as he grinned widely, licking the trail of salt up before grasping her face between his two large hands while he sucked away at the lime in her mouth.

Once he was done the Delta tau brother let out a Neanderthal like whoop before the crowd roared with him.

"Your turn." Noa reminded her as she slipped her skirt back on.

Good thing she had already taken a few shots or she would have probably been shaking like a leaf. It began to blur together, one event melting into the next as she watched him lick up her stomach and force himself against her mouth. A stagnant fear began to bubble up within her as his hands held her down. Her breathing returned to normal as he followed the previous guy's precedent, letting her go to throw his hands up in the air, welcoming the oncoming cheers.

Feeling a little less gung-ho about the whole thing she put her shirt and pants back on, ignoring the worthless feeling in the pit of her stomach. This wasn't the same, this wasn't…her eyes widened as she saw Noa's boyfriend weave through the crowd and forcefully pull her from the bar. Before he angrily walked away with her over his shoulder Rose felt her limbs begin to quiver.

How had she not noticed?

She should have recognized that cocky grin, her eyes traveled around, it was even the same house. Suddenly that night was much closer than it had been before; suddenly she realized what it all meant. Oh god. She had slept with Noa's boyfriend.

**(Edward)**

"I heard about what you had to do." Winry looked like she was trying be sympathetic, but he could see the humor lurking behind her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah laugh it up." He gritted his teeth, "That bastard is definitely going down."

"What was the point of you guys tying your ties to the balcony?"

He noticed she left out the whole being naked part. "What color tie did you pick?"

"Does it matter?"

Ed adjusted his books in his arms as they continued to walk back to their dorm. "Whichever tie you picked, that's your date for this annual BTA and KD date night. Tell me what color you picked and I'll tell you if it matters." He added.

She grimaced looking a little panicky. "I picked the red one."

"The red one-" A little bird began to sing inside his head, "but I put up a red tie." He mulled it over, still not making the connection until he watched her face turn a few shades darker.

She let out a long drawn out sigh of relief, "Good, at least I don't have to actually go on a date with one of your brothers. No offense" she added hastily.

He didn't have time to be offended, he was thinking about a little thing called fate and how all the roads in his life lately had been leading up to her. He decided the lack of sleep was not doing him any favors; he needed to get a grip on reality. At least he wouldn't have to go on a blind date, going with Winry actually sounded like fun.

As they parted ways to go up to their respective dorm floors, she caught him.

"Hey Ed?"

"Yeah?"  _Why was she looking at him like that?_

"I wouldn't run naked around the KD house anymore."

"Why's that?" He joked.

She shook her head, grinning from ear to ear, "You've never met Riza or Olivier, have you?"

He had heard Hughes nagging Roy about a girl named Riza a few times. "What does that have to do with your sorority house?"

Winry laughed again, "Just trust me Ed, no more shenanigans at my sorority house?"

Promising not to pull off any shenanigans at her house was not one he could make, especially not with two more days left of hell week. "I'll try."

 


	6. Date Night

**(Maes Hughes)**

Date night was an age-old tradition that Maes happened to think very highly of. He remembered his first Date Night and the one Kappa Delta girl that kept the memory alive for him. Not that he would admit it to his brothers, but he thought the tradition was a good luck charm. Ever since Gracia had pulled his tie, while he was still a measly pledge he might add, they had been inseparable. A little bit of fate and some long and happy years later, here they were. Funny that it had been that morning that he had stumbled upon a particular item, not on their anniversary of being together, but the anniversary of their first date.

Maes didn't put that much time or effort into his decision, it just sort of happened. One minute he was walking down the street and the next he was staring through a glass showcase, pointing at one month's worth of salary. What was true was that from the moment he had met Gracia he had known that she was the one to ruin all others. But they were in college, life was expensive and the future had always seemed so far away. Maes grinned because in about eight months they would be graduating college. Life had accelerated while they were too busy falling in love. He stood on threshold of his final year holding a ring in his hand.

Pacing the empty study his head jerked up at the sound of an approach.

"Never figured I'd find you in the study, not studying." Roy smirked.

The box felt heavy in his pocket, the actual ring weighing down his hand as if it were a thousand times its original mass. This was a big step, but after pacing for several hours he realized one thing. Why not? He loved her, he wanted to marry her and they were both graduating. Wasn't that reason enough?

Shrugging off his nerves of finally saying it aloud Maes stopped his pacing. It felt nice to get it off his chest. "I bought it."

Looking intrigued his buddy grinned, "What did you buy?"

Words failed to convey the step he had just taken, the leap of faith he was now betting on. Opening his palm, he held out the offending object for Mustang to see.

Dark eyes widened considerably. "I hope you're not proposing to me Maes." His cocky grin flashed snidely.

Maes sighed because his friend was trying to poke the bear. "I'm going to ask Gracia to marry me tonight."

Roy let out a low whistle, his hand scratching absently at the back of his head, "You sure about this?"

"Spending the rest of my life with Gracia?" He smiled, even if he was a little uncertain of her answer. "That's never been a question."

Roy clapped him on the back, shaking his head in sympathy. "So long old pal, it's been nice knowing you."

This was more like the reaction he was expecting. Everyone seemed so convinced that marrying right out of college was cliché. But he wasn't just any guy and she certainly wasn't an average girl. He was ready to settle down, ready to leave school and enter the real world. Some of his brothers just weren't there yet, though he had a suspicion that Roy was much closer than he thought.

"Maybe it's time you stopped running around and settle down with Hawkeye." He couldn't help but make a jab at that particular weak spot. The two had been good friends longer than he and Mustang had, it was clear to anyone with common sense what was going on.

The silence loomed for a moment before an answer came. "Nah, I'm not the marrying type."

"Have you ever been married?" Maes implored.

"Never and I don't plan on it." His tone implicated that Maes shouldn't push it. 

But Maes rather liked to push his friends’ buttons if he thought they would serve as a catalyst for a better future. “If you've never been married than how can you know if it's your type of not?"

A loud crash and a scream were followed by the sounds of feet padding down the hallway. Peering out the door both Maes and Roy caught a glimpse of a pledge shrieking as he bolted down the corridor, his hands clutched firmly over his butt.

After indulging in a good laugh Maes folded her arms across his chest. This had something to do with Roy, these things always did. "Are you going to explain or do I even need to ask?"

His brother looked distinctly pleased. "I told the pledges yesterday to clean the downstairs bathroom again, just to see if they would."

Roy probably shouldn't have run for president, he still acted like he was the pledge master. "Mind telling me what this has to do with Aaron screaming like a girl?"

There wasn't a shred of humility in his brother. "I figured they wouldn't do what I asked, but I believe he's learned his lesson."

"And?" Maes probably didn't want to know.

"I put Icy hot on the toilet seats, if he had cleaned it again his ass wouldn't be burning." He laughed again before his eyes lit up, "And to answer your question as to why I'm not the marrying type?" He laughed again but Maes could have sworn it didn't echo quite as loud as before. "Because if I married Riza I would actually have to grow up." His expression quickly switched back to its usual cool, "Well I should go talk with Breda, looks like we have a new name for Aaron." With a quick nod of his head he left the study following in the direction of Aarons embarrassing squeals at this point. "Hey Icy Hot, wait up!"

But it wasn't the nickname that had put a smug smile on his face; Roy had specifically mentioned Riza. Maes wasn't worried about the lack of enthusiasm; he would find a way to get those two together it was just a matter of when.

**(Riza)**

"I swear he rigs this thing."

Olivier raised an eyebrow in her direction, "And yet you still go."

The fellow blonde clipped her hair back up. "He's not so bad." She admitted.

"I hate to be a hard ass, but as your sister I'm going to tell you what I think."

 _As if Olivier had ever refrained from telling anyone what she thought._ Riza thought glibly.

"I think it's a shame that you are even giving Roy the time of day. I know he's your friend but I know you well enough to see you want more."

Riza felt the familiar wave of guilt settle over her, she wasn't a liar, but holding back the truth felt just as bad. Things would be so much different if her father wasn't a professor, if he wasn't  _Roy's professor_. If word got out what she had done this summer, if anyone knew what had been happening. Riza smoothed down the fabric of her pants with sweaty palms. If her father found out he would turn on Roy. There was no doubt her father would make sure Roy's scholarship was taken away. There was nothing they could say to her father to make him relent. He held her on a pedestal because she needed to do his bidding and if anyone interfered Riza knew there would be consequences. Despite his deteriorating health Riza knew he would find a way to keep her to himself. Riza was supposed to be getting an education, not a husband her father had warned her numerous times. Riza thought the statement might be wise if he didn't put so much malice behind it.

"You're acting strange, what has he done now?" Olivier asked shrewdly, her eyes dangerous. 

Riza had no doubt Olivier would easily take down any guy who hurt a sister. "Things have really changed since we were freshman. Roy's not the guy you think he is."

"So what kind of guy is he?" Her face softened for a second, "If he can't see what he has in front of him, then I still maintain he's a complete idiot."

Riza smiled at the forced attempt at encouragement, but she couldn't tell Olivier the truth, not yet anyways. Changing the subject Riza tried an easier route for conversation, "Still unsure about picking Winry as one of our pledges?"

Olivier tapped the desk in front of her lightly, her gaze thoughtful. "I guess I should have told you, I think I want to take her as my little sister."

Every pledge was matched with an older member as their big sister, it was a big honor and responsibility. This was shocking news. Olivier, in all her years as a member, had never taken a little sister. Riza searched for something to say because this was honestly the last thing, she thought Olivier would. Riza never thought that someone else would want Winry as their little sister; not after Gracia had let most of the girls know her heart was set on taking Winry as her little.

"Oh." The small noise went perfectly with the defeated crushing inside. What Olivier wanted, she got.

Oblivious to the unsettled look on her sister’s face Olivier continued on. "She has future president written all over her, just like you did when you came in. My great, great, grandmother helped start this sorority, it would be a shame to let this family line die."

Growing up an only child had sheltered Riza from many things and the intricacies of girl drama had been one of them. How was she going to tell Gracia that Olivier wanted Winry as her little? It was going to break her heart. Winry was a great girl and was certainly going to be an asset to the sorority but why did Olivier have to notice now? As for the mention of president, she wasn't sure exactly how she felt about that. Olivier was a senior and couldn't run for president again which meant they would need a candidate. On paper she was probably the best choice, the current Vice President, a junior, but was  _she_  ready to be president? Feeling a little overwhelmed she rushed a goodbye and practically flew out of the room. There really was only one person she could count on to back her up on stuff like this, she wished it was one of her sisters, but Roy understood the things she couldn't explain. Sometimes he understood the things she didn't even know he knew.

The walk to the Beta Tau Alpha house wasn't that far from their sorority house. Halfway posed to knock her hand halted when one of the brothers answered the door. It was hard to push away the image of her first encounter with this boy. Riza recognized him as one of the pledges who had nakedly trespassed on their property the other day. The boy had very unusual golden eyes, she wondered if he was any relation to Van Hohenheim. Van Hohenheim was a generous donor to the University and Riza knew her father envied him with a burning passion. But now was not the time to figure out if her suspicions were correct, "Is Roy home?" she asked pointedly.

His face split into a grin, as if Christmas had come early. "Oh yeah, hold on a sec." Leaning back over his shoulder he shouted loud enough Riza thought her ears were ringing. "MUSTANG YOUR GIRLFRIEND IS HERE!"

"He should be out in a few seconds." The boy answered smartly before stepping aside to let her in.

"Very funny Fullmetal, I don't have a girl…" His voice trailed off as he caught sight of her standing in the front hallway. His gaze turned back to Ed. "Aren't you supposed to be getting your arm fixed by  _your_ girlfriend? Or would you like me to call your old mechanic? I heard Mr. Garfield misses your patronage very much."

Riza wasn't sure exactly what his response was as he turned away reluctantly, a snarl on his mouth but she could have sworn she heard a bastard or two. Speaking when the pledge slammed the door firmly behind him Riza shook her head. "Still terrorizing the pledges Mr. President?"

Roy responded with an unabashed smile, "Only some of the time, I occasionally make fun of our older members. Keeps them in check you know?"

She thought of a few good reasons why that idea was probably not the best, but he was a big boy, he would figure it out. "Can we go someplace a little more private?" She asked, thinking of all the troubles on her mind. They really weren't the kind of things she wanted spread around, especially not when Garcia’s boyfriend could be just around the corner. If there was one thing, she had learned about Maes Hughes it was that he couldn't keep a secret from Gracia.

Roy didn't flinch at her request, nor did he bring up the fact that she had never visited him at his fraternity house before. "Come on."

He led her up the flight of stairs to his room, his hand brushing up against hers along the way. The lock had barely clicked into place before she was up against the wall, his mouth pressed to hers. It was hard to protest when her own hands were pinning him against her. "I've missed you." He spoke huskily before letting his mouth begin to trail down her neck.

It took a moment but Riza managed to take a long enough breath to make him stop. "Wait." She panted; the place where his mouth traveled heated and blushed.

His face tilted up again to look her dead in the eyes, "I don't want to wait anymore." The deep sense of longing was infectious, threatening to take this somewhere she couldn't follow.

"I need to talk to you." She managed to choke out in a shuddering breath.

His eyes closed and when they opened, she saw the fresh wound building beneath. "Nothing good can come from talking." He muttered briefly before taking a step back and flopping on his bed. He patted the spot next to him, "Talk to me." He prompted her, looking as if he had swallowed something sour.

He might not want to talk, but she had been friends long enough to know he would do as she asked. The once irritated look was now softening to concern; he had changed so much since freshman year. A lot could happen in a few years and between them it showed; everything was different now. Yet through it all he was a constant in her life and even his flirtatious and sometimes irritating behavior didn't bother her. For the first time she knew that that was the only way she would have it. But having to hide the new development between them had taken some careful steps and it was weighing her down.

"I don't like that we have to hide this." She looked at her feet feeling the mattress shift as Roy scooted closer.

Putting his hands behind his head he flopped on his back. "Then let's not hide it." He answered as simply as if she had asked him what color the sky was.

He was exasperating all right. "You know why we can't do that."

"No." His dark features drew together apologetically, "I know why I can't do that and I don't care. Let your dad fail me." Jerking to his feet he began to walk the length of the room, a fury building behind his stormy gaze. "Let them take away my scholarship, I don't need it."

Riza thought he was far too cavalier about this whole thing. She knew about Roy's foster mom and how hard he had worked to make it this far. "How are you going to pay for school? You've worked too hard to let your scholarship slip away." Riza had other reasons for wanting to see Roy, but this was becoming all consuming. "You can't throw away all of that just for this."

"Is that what you think? That this is just something I can throw away? Dammit Riza sometimes I don't know what the hell you want from me!"

The two of them remained quiet for a spell, both unsure of what to say next.

"I don't know what I want." Riza stood her ground. "But I know I don't want this. I didn't come here to fight."

"Then what did you come here for?" There was a bitterness and Riza knew he was probably a lot sorrier than he sounded.

"Forget it Roy. I'm sorry I've wasted your time." She knew he was watching her leave but he never once tried to stop her.

**(Edward)**

"Hold still!" She ordered him, her eyes flashing in warning.

Lying in his boxers while a young woman leaned over him was a little much. Especially when this young woman was wearing a tank top that revealed beautiful curves, he could mold himself right into.  He needed to move a little, he needed to keep images of chemical equations firmly imprinted into his thoughts. Edward flinched at Winry's raised voice but proceeded to roll his eyes, "Bossy."

She didn't even bother to warn him before she attached the nerve ends. The resounding cry of pain was quickly stifled as he watched her roll her eyes back at him. " _Baby_."

He was about to give her a piece of his mind when he realized how different his arm felt. Sitting up Ed rolled the shoulder joint a few times, the nerves still tingling, but the effect was instantaneous. Jumping to his feet he punched the air a few times before grinning wickedly. "This is incredible!" He breathed out in amazed infatuation.

The responsiveness, the lightness of movement, it was so  _different_. He had never experienced such freedom with his automail before, it felt liberating in ways he didn't think he could vocalize at the moment.

She was scrutinizing him. "Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot." He prompted her, still feeling rather optimistic about his arm.

She toyed with the latch on her toolbox before shutting it. "How did it happen?"

The good feeling dissipated as a dangerous memory began to claw its way to the surface. "Accident."

He knew she was waiting for him to elaborate, but there was nothing to elaborate on. Nothing that he didn't already spend four years of his life obsessing over. "You better go get ready for tonight, you got oil on you."

Her gaze settled on her arms for a moment before she sighed, "Suppose you're right, well I'll see you tonight I guess?"

"Yeah."

The awkward silence stretched on for a little longer before Winry finally shut his dorm room door on her way out.

Regret was something he was used to. So, it shouldn't have bothered him so much that he didn't tell her the whole truth, that he regretted answering so coldly because regret was normal for him. Regret reminded him of the series of mistakes he had yet to atone for.

**(Winry POV)**

Most of the people her grandmother and her had worked on were pretty reluctant to explain how they had managed to lose their limbs. Some of them her grandmother had treated from the start; farming accidents were some of the most common injuries they had seen. But when asked what had happened most patients refrained from detail, the events usually traumatic were not for discussing. So why she had to open her big mouth and pry into Edward's business was truly baffling. But if she was going to be honest, she wanted him to tell her. She wanted him to be able to trust her as a friend, to tell her his pains as she would tell him hers. In the end she was probably just kidding herself that he even saw her as a good friend. Maybe she was just a pity date for the night, a mechanic and a lab partner.

She and the rest of her sisters walked from the KD house over to the Beta house, the ties in their hands. Winry was well aware whose tie she had picked, like a damn bull she just had to go for the red one. Would it have been a better idea to get stuck with someone else, had Ed been disappointed that it was her that had picked his tie?

The thoughts subsided as she caught sight of the house. Almost every single Beta Tau Alpha was standing out front, dressed to impress, only missing their ties. It felt almost like a childhood game someone would play at a birthday party, only instead of pin the tail on the donkey it was pin the tie on the man.

Gracia turned to face the rest of the pledges, "The trick is finding your date. The girl who ties her tie on the right guy first gets 10 points. Each winning couple from every game tonight gets points. At the end of tonight the couple with the most points will win two free all day passes to Centrals Amusement Park. Winry grinned she was always up for a little competition. Good thing she had fitted Ed with his new automail, she wanted to win.

Olivier had appointed herself the supreme ref, refusing to join in on the festivities. When all the guys and girls were ready, she stood off to the side, her loud voice easily discernable. "On your mark, get set…GO!"

She had the advantage when it came to knowing who she had already picked, but finding him in the crowd was proving to be more difficult until she caught sight of gleaming metal. That was her man alright! Racing towards him she quickly threw the tie around his neck, her hands expertly tying the piece. She had helped many recovering patients learn how to tie a tie. "DONE!" she cried happily.

There were several disappointed remarks, but she could have sworn Olivier looked smug about the results. "And the first ten points go to Winry and Ed."

The adrenaline rush slowly exiting, she realized her and Ed's last words had not been on the greatest of terms. Feeling a little unsure she was about to say something when she felt someone ruffle her hair. "Way to go machine junky." He poked fun happily.

Relieved she smiled back at him. "A little birdie told me I had your tie science geek, from there I just had to spot you."

He narrowed his eyes at her, "Are you calling me short?"

She lined up next to him; his shoulders were just a little higher than hers. "Well I don't call myself short so no, guess not."

"Better not be…" He muttered a half grin still on his face.

The next challenge proved just as easy. Without Riza or Olivier as competition, it wasn't as hard as she thought. Though she wondered why Riza never showed up. Someone had said something about her being good friends with a few of the boys, she wondered why she didn't come.

The wheel barrel race had been their second win, followed by a round of jeopardy in which she had to admit, having Ed as a partner was a definite plus. The piggyback race had two running stretches; each couple had to switch halfway. Winry found herself dissolving into laughter as they watched poor Adrienne struggle to pull Breda on her back. Maria and Denny ended up winning the piggyback race, but Winry had full confidence going into the last round that they could still win.

Crouching down low, Ed whispered into her ear. "We got this Winry; you just have to trust me."

Nodding her head, she let him tie the blindfold around her eyes. The last event was an obstacle course, only one of them had to be blindfolded. After flipping a coin, it was decided that Ed would take the lead. The other couples had all made it through, though Hughes seemed so distracted that she was sure their time was a lot higher than it should have been. Luck of the draw they would be the last couple to go.

"Ready?" He asked hesitantly.

Taking a calming breath, she grabbed a hold of his hand, "Let's do it."

Set up by some of the BTA guys who were in officer training for the military, the course resembled a basic obstacle course. First there was the line of tires, followed by the netting in which they had to crawl under on their stomachs, the wall, and in the end a single board suspended over a hosed down mud pit.

Winry had stared down the course while the other couples had gone, counting the number of steps it would take and memorizing the tricks in order to do them efficiently. Ed counted with her, careful to make sure he had the right words to cue her when the time came.

Feeling over prepared and a little giddy they tackled the tires quickly, Winry not missing a step as she held on tightly to Edward's hand. Crawling under the netting she almost laughed at what she couldn't see. So much for the formal attire the boys had been wearing. They had prepared for the wall in advance with a plan already formulated in their heads. Winry helped Ed get to the top; once he had stationed himself up there, he reached for her. Having done each step so well she could feel her adrenaline building as she pictured the finish line in her mind. They had decided to walk the beam together unlike the other couples. The board was a little slick from the other couples who had fallen in the pit only a few feet below. Her breath caught in her throat as her footing slipped. Grabbing onto Edward she heard him let out a low grunt before she sent both of them toppling into the mud pit. Her ankle twisted as she landed, her body lying in the mud as she cried out in pain.

"Aw shit. Winry are you okay?"

They were too damn close to not finish this. Trying to stand she felt herself collapse into his arms, grateful that even though she couldn't see, he was watching out for her. She tried to step again but Ed had already scooped her up into his arms.

"What are you doing!"  _Was he really going to carry her the rest of the way?_

She could almost see the grin on his face as he managed to walk them over the plank once more and land on the opposite side. "Winning this."

When she heard the laughter and cheers, she knew they had crossed the finish line. Ed pulled the bandana from her eyes but instead of looking victorious his expression was full of concern. "Did you hurt your ankle?"

A guy had never made her melt, but even with her clothes dripping with mud and her ankle throbbing she felt it.  "My ankle? Who cares about that? WE WON!" Smiling she threw her arms around his neck in a long embrace.

**(Gracia POV)**

Gracia shared a look with Maes as they watched Edward blush. If only her sister knew what she was doing to that boy as she hugged him closely to her. "I wonder if they realize those passes, they won only work if they go together."

Maes had that twinkle in his eyes; he was always trying to act as a matchmaker. "And you wonder why we plan these events!" But even as he laughed and cheered along with the rest of them Gracia couldn't help but notice something seemed off.

Wrapping her arms around his she nestled against his side, "Is something wrong?"

His eyebrows shot up, "Wrong? What could be wrong?"

Chewing nervously on her lower lip she tried to figure out what it was that seemed different. "Your acting almost like you did on our first date." She giggled softly, "Almost like you're nervous to be around me."

Shifting from one foot to the other she saw him glance nervously around, she must have hit it right on the nail. But they had been together for four years, why would he be nervous around her?

He kissed her on the forehead, that gentle smile of his easing her worries. "I have something for you; will you meet me out front while I go get it?"

Strange, it wasn't her birthday and Christmas wasn't until a few months. What gift could he possibly have for her? But she trusted him and if he wanted her to meet him out front, she would. "Is it something I'll like?" she asked smartly.

"I hope so." He breathed out looking nervous again before he bolted up the back porch and disappeared into the house.

Tapping her shoe on the stone pathway to the front of the house she crossed and uncrossed her arms. She had been standing there for at least ten minutes and the noise from the backyard had gotten suspiciously quiet. What are you up to Maes Hughes?

"I've got sunshine…" One of the BTA brothers walked out the front door, a rose in his hand.

"…on a cloudy day." Another brother stepped walked towards her, handing her another rose.

"When it's cold outside…"

"…I've got the month of May." Another two guys walked out and handed her roses.

Her hand clamped over her mouth as she watched the entire chapter walk out at this point to finish the verse together. "I guess you'd say, what can make me feel this way? My girl, my girl, my girl."

And then, though she was expecting it at this point the boys parted in time for Maes to step towards her and finish it up by himself. "Talkin' bout my girl." He sang softly before he dropped to one knee.

Gracia could feel the tears welling up in her eyes as she held onto an arm full of roses, the brothers of BTA and her sisters surrounding them.

"You'll always be my girl and I want to spend the rest of my life loving you. Gracia, will you marry me?"

Thank god she only needed one word to answer him. She could barely see the sparkling ring through her tears, her voice shock as she nodded her head. "Yes…yes, yes!"

In an instant she had dropped the flowers and jumped into his waiting arms as he pulled her into a deep kiss. They had a lot of date nights to look forward to.

 

 


	7. Family Ties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family by blood or by choice?

**(Hohenheim)**  
Not that he was a snoop, it just sort of came to his attention while chatting with his son's professor at the Investors Reception. He treated the University very kindly and this kindness gave way to loose lips; especially when it came to asking questions regarding his son. It wasn't the ideal situation between a father and son, but they were not the typical family. His son had barely spoken two words to him since the death of Trisha, the mother of his two sons and his late wife. The loss of Trisha had rocked their family to the core and he still often thought they were wading through the debris. Making the best of what he had left he switched his energy to his business. He would never admit that his sons and their home were just painful reminders of what he had lost. Instead he would insist that conferences were too important to let just anyone go. Traveling for business was his decision, whether it was in Drachma or Xing, the destination didn't matter. About the only indicator that time was flying by was the steady updates from the hospital and the number of unanswered messages he knew had been deleted from his son's phone.

It was all different now and despite his own mistakes, the thread holding together their family was frayed and had been threatening to break for the last four years. He had been away on business when it happened. It had taken two days for him to make it back. Two days was too late.

"You say he's doing well?" He asked, trying to poise the question as if he were just interested in his son's academic growth. If he was being honest, he wished he could ask more without threatening to reveal the deep rift between them.

The older man chuckled as if this were comical, "Hohenheim your son is a genius I hardly think you should be worrying about his grades. Though, sometimes I believe he is only exerting effort in my class to impress that girlfriend of his."

His son had a girlfriend? That was a new and interesting development.

Another professor overhearing the conversation chimed in. "Ah! Are you referring to the Rockbell girl?"

Remarkable, it was someone he knew! Sadly, he knew there were only two living Rockbells and one of them was certainly not in college, but he had heard about Sarah's daughter. Pianko's prodigy in the making, how surreal that his son had found her among the sea of students. How in the world had his son struck her attention?

"What did you say her name was?" He asked curiously to make sure he had his information correct before jumping to conclusions.

"Winry Rockbell, such a lovely young lady." The woman commented as his son’s chemistry professor nodded in agreement.

Perhaps he should drop in and surprise his son with a visit while he was around. He might also want to extend a few words of advice when it came to women. He had a feeling that his son was woefully behind in that department.

Instead of seeking out Edward he found himself on a familiar drive. The drive to the hospital didn't take very long coming from Central University. He walked the familiar hospital hall, a few nurses smiling sadly kindly as he passed by. A few others with hopeful smiles that he would keep at bay. A wealthy, single, and grieving father might be appealing to them at the moment but he had put enough people in danger by loving them.

**(Leto)**

On paper he didn't mind dating the president of the top sorority on campus. That was the problem though, he wasn't actually dating her or at least they had never mutually agreed to be exclusive. This was college, they had no business hitching themselves together when their worlds were destined to diverge. 

"Think she knows it's you yet?" He muttered out of annoyance as they watched the last few girls open presents.

"She's not stupid; I told her today that I was practically royalty. There are only a few of us in the princess family line, I assume she can put two and two together." Noa snapped.

Frowning he fought off the urge to smack that glare off her face. "Relax babe, I'm just saying, you think she really wants you as a big sister?"

The way her jaw clenched let him know he had struck a nerve.

"You're an ass sometimes, you know that, right?"

"And you're rude sometimes, what of it?" He snapped back.

She huffed loudly as if this were news to her. Funny, he thought she knew. "You can wait for me outside." She replied shrewdly as if this were a punishment.

Chuckling he walked out the door without answering, he  _would_  rather wait outside. Just as he began to light up a smoke he thought he heard the sound of sobs. Looking around the corner he felt the initial annoyance drain as fast as a keg at a party. Taking a long drag of his cigarette he dropped it to the ground where the heel of his shoe smothered it into the cobblestone walkway. He cleared his throat loud enough to grab her attention.

The girl looked up quickly, her hand flying to wipe away the tears. Her mouth formed a pout as if she were ready to tell him off for disturbing her pity fest. He remembered what her mouth could do and suddenly he was vastly more intrigued. "Mind if I join you?"

Rose looked around nervously, but he sat down as if she agreed.

"Crying solves nothing." He commented.

He watched her eyes narrow, "And cheating ruins everything."

She had some tough skin, "Oh kitty's got claws!"

"Don't you realize what we've done?" Her tone implied she was still upset, but he rather thought she was searching for something, waiting for him to confirm whatever doubt was in the back of her mind.

"I know what we did. I'm more curious why you didn't tell Noa you slept with me?"

"I didn't realize you were her boyfriend until the pledge party." She answered harshly.

"That was a while ago, I'm sure you have had plenty of opportunities to have a little chat with her since then. Scared she'll kick you out of AZ?" He knew how badly some girls wanted to be in Alpha Zeta, of course she would want to protect her spot.

Rose jumped to her feet her eyes blazing, "Scared? Of course I’m scared, but I'm still going to tell her Leto because despite the idea that she might never talk to me again I can't stand the thought of her still being with someone like you. Have a nice life asshole."

He watched her storm away from him, the tears gone from her face. Good; now she could hold that pretty little head up high and clear both of their names. 

**(Winry)**

Winry pulled the piece of paper with her name written on it off the floor; eyes traveling slowly from the piece of paper to the vast web of string that stretched throughout the living room. 

"Start rolling up your string!" Gracia encouraged them happily.

It might have been terribly frustrating if she had been at it alone. But with girls tripping and laughing as they tried to find the end of their string through the maze it was impossible not to laugh. Her string it seemed had been the longest of all, taking her the full 15 minutes to finally wind it all the way to her first clue. The suspense already built up she excitedly opened the envelope. Reading quickly, she stared at the card. "The color of our hair would make you think we are already blood sisters. You'll find your second clue in the place where things disappear, a place where people rest and things like keys, phones and pencils have been building up for generations."

Winry smirked; this was too easy. Running towards the couch she flipped up the cushions', not surprised by the number of lost items but pleased when the last cushion revealed another envelope. Opening it up she knew it was down to two girls, both of which she wanted very much.

"I'm a senior this year, come find me in the parking lot." The small slip read in neat handwriting.

Dumping the letter out, she stared at the key for a moment before she recognized the car logo. Rushing out the back door she noticed that all of her fellow pledges were currently running from car to car trying to find which one their car key fit to. She could hear the excited squeals as one by one each big sister was revealed. Darting to the overzealous hummer she knew who her big was long before she unlocked the door.

"Surprised?"

Winry grinned widely as she looked at the president of the sorority sitting smugly in the front seat. "I was sure it was between you and Gracia." she felt a sad pang at the thought that someone had gotten Gracia as their big and it wasn't her.

Olivier smiled before holding out an embroidered track jacket, the crest of KD on the back. Winry's mouth gaped open in awe. "Oh wow."

"Don't sweat it little sis, you are part of the family now. When do you expect you'll be running for president?"

Winry stared blankly at her, "Huh?"

Olivier embraced her in a one-armed hug, "No pressure, but every sister in our family line has been president."

As if finally noticing the gaping expression on her face Olivier actually smiled, a welcomed change from her usual unreadable expression. "I know you are going to make me proud."

Sitting outside in the courtyard Winry looked down at her jacket feeling a little confused. She had been excited at the thought that Olivier was her big sister, but the other part of her had secretly wanted Gracia to be her big. Olivier was all business, a great sister of course, but not the big sister Winry had always wanted.

A low whistle brought her thoughts up short.

"Nice jacket, did fixing my automail buy that?"

Scoffing Winry grinned, "I don't charge you enough to afford this."

Ed waved his metal fingers in front of her, "Ah the five-finger discount then?"

"My big sister got it for me."

"Gracia bought you that? Dang, no wonder Hughes works two jobs." He mused out loud.

Weird she didn't even want to correct him, having Gracia as her big just sounded right. "No." She admitted reluctantly, "Olivier is my big."

"Oh." He must have noticed the downturn in her mood. "Disappointed?"

"Not really, I just feel like I don't know Olivier as well as I do Gracia. I have this feeling she only picked me as her little because of what she thinks I could be."

"What is it that she thinks you could be?" He asked realistically.

"She thinks I'm going to be president one day."

Ed leaned against the back of the bench on his elbows. "Maybe she's right."

Since when was Edward Elric the voice of optimism? "What do you mean?"

"You don't do things half way Winry. When you decide you are going to do something-" He jutted out his automail leg with a smirk, "You go all in."

She could feel her face heat up at the compliment. Had he ever complimented her like that before? Winry thought about the list in her mind, about what it was she wanted from him. 

**(Hughes)**

Havoc looked skeptical as he watched Hughes match the brothers up with pledges. "They're going to kill each other before initiation."

"You could be right, but I've known Roy for some years and I am confident this is the best match." He felt satisfied with his work, the list was well thought out. "They have more in common then they think."

Falling backwards out of the lazy boy chair Jean doubled over in laughter. "You're being serious? Roy comes from a poor foster family and Elric is loaded. Have you seen the car he drives?"

Havoc was a good guy, but he had a lot of growing up to do. "It's not about that. Roy doesn't have much in the way of family and if you haven't noticed neither does Ed. They are both holding in a lot of issues that need to be resolved. They can look out for each other."

The laughter was gone from the younger man's face, his hand running through his disheveled blonde hair. "You think Ed's going to make it through the last day of hell week?"

"You're the one who knows him the best, what do you think?"

Jean smirked, the usual laughter inches away from appearing on his face. "I think if he can win date night and survive our garbage disposal, I think he's ready."

"Well there's still our big brother challenge, but I think you're right. We have a good group of guys coming through this year." He liked the idea of going alum in both his fraternity and the college knowing that there were men to carry the torch.

**(Edward)**

It was a power hour and he was fading fast. Ed poured back the shot of beer as the next song played over the speakers. "Ugh, how many do we have left?" He felt woozy and rather full.

"Ten more minutes." Denny replied, his face a little paler than it had been when they started.

The brothers had challenged them to a power hour. An hour in which a shot of beer was taken for each minute. To help keep them all on pace a song was set to change every minute, alerting them to take the next shot. Edward had thought liquor was the enemy, but beer was slowly creeping up to take its place.

A loud belch echoed through the room; Breda easily marked as the perpetrator. "Just making some more room." He announced convincingly.

Roy was quieter than usual; his snarky remarks absent from the scene. He wondered vaguely if it had anything to do with the girl that had visited him the other day. Winry had mentioned something about the both of them missing out on date night. Then again when his thoughts turned to date night he usually got sidetracked. Damn woman was consuming his every thought. He filled his shot hastily as the next song began to play.

Finishing off the power hour, Ed found himself submerged into a very long and drawn out sing-along. The boys began to come together as they tried to do justice to a well-known pop song. He figured this was one of those bonding moments that they would keep secret between each other. Especially since some of the guys in particular seemed to know the song a little  _too_  well.

Edward snapped out of his daze as his phone vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out, his eyes widening as he recognized the number displayed. His father hadn't called him in months. Something inside smoldered hotly, an old wound reopening at the thought of the man who pretended he was something he was not.

The drunken stupor was a large part of his sudden desire to leave the house and the camaraderie. Slipping out the back door he paced the lawn in a crocked path, his jaw set in a firm line. Maybe tonight he would give his father a full dose of all the things that begged and pleaded to be released.

"Edward?" His father's deep voice responded after the first ring.

"You called?" He responded dully, his anger not far behind.

"It's Alphonse."

His heart stopped beating, his body sobering up at the mere mention of the only real family he had left in this world. "What happened?" 

"This is something we should talk about in person. You should come home Edward."

Home, a penthouse suite in downtown Central that never housed a family. There was nothing close to home in that place.

"I'm busy, if it's important than just say it."

There was an audible sigh and he could almost feel his father swallow back comments. "The doctors and I have discussed our options and it is becoming more apparent that this is unhealthy."

Edward froze, his eyes widened to saucers as he tried to process what exactly his father was referring to. "What do you mean unhealthy?" He replied breathlessly, afraid of what was to come.

"This is no life Edward, I'm sorry son. I think it's time we discussed letting him go."

Everything he had been running from had caught up now. He could feel the bile rise in his throat, the world shifting and bending around him. "You have no right to decide what happens to him. He's still alive." He spoke the last three words slowly as if he could will it away.

His father sounded much older than he really was. "Edward."

A fierce loyalty and hard-hitting hatred poured through his veins, fighting one another for the right to rule over him. "Kill me too, that way you can pretend we never existed."

"Don't be over-dramatic Edward, now is not the time to act like a child." His father remarked, a sense of stress and pain lingering on his otherwise calm demeanor.

"Fuck you." He hung up on his father, the alcohol in his system swallowing him whole.

"Hey Ed, I think that's enough." A stern voice called him out as he tried to pour the rest of the bottle of Jack into his emptied shot glass. The power hour had ended a few hours ago and he was now working on a fifth he had found behind the bar in the living room.

But it didn't feel like enough, he could still feel the pain, he could still remember the accident as if it were playing on a loop in front of his eyes. One glance around revealed the empty room, the rest of the brothers must have gone to sleep a while ago. He looked at Roy through his tangled bangs wishing he could hurt something.

"I'm taking you home."

Ed pushed away his hands as he tried to pull him up from the chair. "Don't touch me." He muttered darkly, his emotions simmering beneath the surface.

"This is my fraternity and this isn't your house yet. When I say its time to go, it's time to go." Roy replied back evenly.

"You want me gone? I'M GONE!" He staggered to his feet wanting to escape the judgment. 

"You were fine hours ago, what happened to you?" Mustang accused him sternly.

There really was no reason for him to confide in his fraternity brother, especially Roy. He wanted to blame it on the Jack, but maybe he was sick of holding it in. "They're going to kill my brother. They're going to kill him and it's all my fault." His body began to shake as he pushed away the nearly empty bottle in front of him. Getting up he stormed from the room and out onto the front deck.

If he wasn't so gone, he would have noticed that Roy had tailed him all the way back to his dorm, that he had made sure his brother had made it home safe. Instead he barely recognized the building and when he arrived inside, he found himself not in front of his dorm room but in front of hers.

Breathing hard he knocked on the door, a need stronger than his pain pushing him towards her.

Blinking into the light he watched her blue eyes shrink to slits as she tried to adjust to the brightness. "Ed…?"

He swallowed hard, not knowing exactly why he had come for her. "You wanted to know how I got my automail, didn't you?"

**(Riza)**

Riza sat alone in the University Park, glancing at her phone to check for what felt like the hundredth time. Sighing, she kept her hands in her lap, her legs crossed at the ankles as she sat formally on a park bench. Her father was over an hour late, nothing unusual just another disappointment. Though she had thought that maybe tonight would be different, with his illness he had been attempting to salvage their relationship. A part of her was sickened by the thought; she had a sinking feeling that this renewed interest in wanting to spend time with her stemmed from his research goals. He wanted someone to finish his research; he wanted to hand it over to her. But she was prepared, tonight she was going to refuse him, tonight she was going to finally tell him exactly what he could do with his research.

It was getting late; the sun was already setting in the sky and the once populated park was vacating. It hurt, being forgotten and left behind. How her mother lived for so long in a shadow she would never know. Patience gone she decided to check the lab, if he wasn't there, she would turn off her phone and sleep away the pain. There was no excuse this time.

Trudging the distance to his lab she walked the empty hallways feeling the resentment build with each step. The place was deserted and yet he stayed, showing his clear favor of his work over her. The sounds of someone traveled out to the hallway, she wondered if this would be a confrontation. She didn't think she could hold back the animosity that had been growing behind closed lips.

Prepared to ream him out she halted as ran into someone. Knowing this younger man was not her father she tried to apologize until she recognized the dark features. "Excuse me." She replied rather stiffly.

Roy tried to help her up but she refused his hand.

"Riza." He breathed out her name in a way that would usually keep her entranced, but not today. She was pissed off at her father and she was definitely upset with Roy.

She ignored him and his absurd ability to see right through her. "Is my father still here?"

There was a pause in which she knew he wanted to say something, but instead he answered just as coldly as she had asked. "He's in his office."

Knocking on the door she held back the urge to just barge in and demand to know why he was late. When he didn't respond she knew the list of excuses she often made up for her father were dwindling down. Opening the door swiftly, she felt the terrible weight of holding it all in for so long threaten to break free. About to confront the man she felt the anger suddenly evaporate as a shrill sense of horror swallowed her up. There, lying face down on his desk, a pool of blood spreading out from where his mouth hung open, was her father. Inhaling she didn't realize who was screaming until she felt her throat start to ache.

"Riza, wha-?" Roy ran into the room his eyes switching from her to her father. "Professor!" He raced over to the man before she even had time to think, to breathe, to even comprehend what she was seeing.

"Call 911!" He barked out roughly.

Her hands trembled, but her voice came out steely as the operator answered promptly. "I need an ambulance over at the Phillips Science building, room 432."

She watched on as Roy tried to give CPR to her lifeless father. The phone slipped from her hand as he slowly stopped his manic attempts to bring him back.

"He's gone." Roy admitted in disbelief.

Riza sank to her knees, all the anger she had felt for her father useless to her now. Her throat clenched and her eyes stung, but no tears fell as she stared at the broken and aged man on the ground. Her father was dead.

She let Roy put his arm around her shoulder and lead her from the room. She didn't remember much about answering questions from the paramedics and the police officers as they arrived on the scene, but she did recall the ache that began to erode at her heart.

The drive home was silent as she sat numb to the world around her. What were the last words she had spoken to him? Was he in pain? If she had gotten there earlier, could she have saved him? The same choking feeling felt as if it were strangling her, but no tears came. Was he dying as she sat there on a park bench hating him?

"Stay with me." Roy asked softly.

It dawned on her that he had pulled up to her sorority house. She looked at the large white house, the lights on in several rooms where she could imagine her sisters laughing. Somehow the dark cloud of emotion pouring from her didn't seem to fit inside those walls. Feeling impossibly lost and alone she stared back at him, all previous anger gone. She wanted to pretend the world had stopped spinning and that nothing existed, nothing but the air traveling in and out of her lungs.

"Stay with me?" He asked again.

She leaned back in the seat her eyes shutting as she shook her head slowly from side to side. She needed to be alone. "Thank you for driving me home." She answered softly, knowing deep inside she didn't want him to leave. But sometimes what we want is not what we need. She wanted to be with Roy, but she was breaking and fast. The pain was threatening to spill and she couldn't stand the thought of him watching her fall into a million pieces.

The only way she knew how to deal with pain was to stand alone and face the dark. Now she would follow the path into darkness and let her world crash down. She never saw the pained expression on his face, she was walking up the path towards the house her eyes so blurred with unshed tears she hardly remembered the walk at all.

**(Roy)**

Bad things come in threes. Even if it was the stuff of myths and urban legends, he had felt it coming. From the moment Hughes had told him about his plans to marry Gracia he had known. Good things like that come at a price and things had been good for far too long. He was president of his fraternity, he had finally connected with Riza and his scholarship had paid for his new research project. Now came the fallout; his world was falling back into its equilibrium. A world in which Riza was missing, his mentor was dead, and one of his pledges was falling off the deep end.

He put the glass to his lips and tipped it back. It could have been the fourth drink of the night or the fourteenth. Hell, he wasn't keeping count and the bartender had lovingly filled his glass up without him asking. The cigarette hung out of her mouth, the caked-on makeup doing nothing to hide the years of age on her face. It felt more like home in the darkened night venue than he wanted to admit. He couldn't remember the last time he had visited here, but it was long enough that she was content to merely watch him out of the corner of her eye. She was a tough woman and despite their differences she knew exactly what he wanted and more importantly she knew what he needed. In that moment he didn't want to talk, he didn't want to think, he just wanted to be.

A few of the girls walked by, some he recognized from his childhood caressed his cheek in passing. In a room full of people, he was still alone, still stuck in a place he had been three years earlier. He wanted more in this life and he had thought he would find it in college. And yet here he was once again looking for answers at the bottom of a glass.

Picking up the glass he was surprised that it was drained, lifting his gaze up he noticed the bartender had made no move to refill it. Sitting up straighter he pushed the glass forward, trying to hint the obvious.

"Are you ready to talk Roy boy?" Madam Christmas, his beloved aunt requested harshly.

His temples throbbed; his throat ached to feel the burn again. Shaking his head, he picked up his glass and tipped it towards her. He needed to drink away the pain; he needed to drink away the past until it never existed.

When she made no move to fill his glass, he ground his teeth together in frustration, reality slowly filtering in through the haze. He didn't want to feel what was happening inside, "I'll find someone else who will if you won't." He responded; his glass still extended.

Smirking, she looked like a smug toad at that angle. "I have no doubts you could and yet you're still here."

Narrowing his eyes, he tried to glare at her, but the room had a way of spinning that was throwing him off. "You think this is funny?" He wanted to hate her in that moment, he wanted to throw that glass at her knowing expression, he wanted to scream at her until his voice was hoarse.

"I think that you are still the same scared little boy I took in 16 years ago." She answered, her tone more of a challenge than an accusation.

He didn't answer her, but he noticed she filled his glass one more time before walking away. She was his foster mom and though they acted like strangers, he knew she was one of the only people who truly understood him…the other was miles away mourning the loss of her father.

He wasn't scared of death and the people it had taken from him; he was scared of the future and the idea of walking forward into it. There was a guilt to the pain he knew she was in, the pain he felt he could have stopped. How had he been working on research while a man lay dying only a room away? Did he go peacefully or did he spend his last moments trying to reach out to someone? Roy looked down at the now empty glass. What happens when you hit the bottom?

It was the life he never had; he had chosen his brothers as his support system. They had believed in him and stood up for him, but he couldn't shake the steady voice that told him to walk away. He knew that Hughes had placed him as Ed's big brother but he didn't feel like a big brother. He didn't feel like a role model as he slumped against the bar counter, his vision blurring. He felt broken and beaten and he had a sinking feeling no one could help him now.


	8. Initiation pt.1

**(Edward)**

"I don't know where to start." He admitted bleakly. The air thick with words he didn't want to say, images he didn't want to relive and guilt he couldn't quite shake.

"The beginning is usually a good place." She offered softly, her hand crossing the distance between them to grab his.

Winry didn't flinch at the cold metal digits within her grasp and suddenly he found the words began to spill, like a rush of water from a fall. "Alphonse." He cringed at the way his brother’s name lingered in the air. "I have a little brother named Alphonse." It was hard to not think about a time when he might have to use past tense. It might have happened years ago, but no memory ever felt quite as fresh.

Winry must have sensed it best to just listen because she sat quietly, the lamp in the corner of her room illuminating the concern in her face.

"I was mad at my dad that night. Well fuck, the bastard always pisses me off but this was different. It was Christmas eve and he had promised he would be home. Of course, my mom shut her door but we could hear her crying.  I was a teenager, I was starved for attention and I was a selfish asshole. I found his pain pills, I swallowed the whole bottle. I thought-I don’t know what I was thinking. I guess I thought this year might be different, I thought he might come home. I think I even thought that maybe if he knew how bad he had hurt us he would come home. Alphonse, my little brother, was the one that found me. They carried me to the car, laid me in the back."

"Ed..." Winry's eyes had that shine to them, the one that lets you know when someone is holding back their tears.

"I didn't want to die, but looking back I should have. They thought I was dying and they were right. Mom was driving too fast and Al never put his seatbelt on."

The gears in his automail began to whine as he let the guilt crash him into his own self-loathing. He heard Winry suck in a breath and immediately released her hand from his tightened grip. "M'sorry Winry."

Winry was ghostly pale, but maybe it was he who was seeing apparitions. That was part of the problem, it felt like the two most important people in his life were just memories that could fade with time.

"It’s okay Ed." She rubbed her hand absently, but kept her gaze steady and unyielding. "I'm still listening."

If he didn't feel the slight haze of booze still lingering in the depths of his mind, he might have saved her from the ending. Then again, he did excel at hurting people and the sooner she knew the truth, the better. "All I remember was my mom telling me to stay awake. Then I was in a hospital bed and my father couldn't even look at me. I had survived and she didn't. Alphonse was in a coma and I was...I was half a man."

"Edward." Her hand rested on his thigh but Ed couldn't feel anything. 

"I should have died." That was the plain truth, the one his father never let him forget. "We moved to the city as soon as I was well enough to travel. He had our house demolished, said there was no point in living in the past."

A lump had risen in his throat, a tightness that almost felt like choking. He struggled to swallow back the urge to scream and pound his chest in agony. Saying it aloud hadn't cleared it the air, or lifted the guilt from his shoulders. Instead he watched as the tears fell down her cheeks and wondered why she would waste all of that empathy on him. Feeling the overwhelming urge to vomit he took steadying breaths, "I should go."

She might have said something but he didn't want to hear it. He failed to tell her, as she cried for him, that he was too much of a coward to do it himself.

**(Riza)**

Death has such a finality to it, but the longer she spent dwelling on it the more gravity pulled her down. Looking at the grave marker she could feel it welling up again, the traitorous little girl who had lost her father. He was sick, he was arrogant and abusive and yet he was family. He was still the only breathing reminder that she came from something. Whether or not he had believed she was something was debatable but that didn't stop her from feeling as if someone had erased her past and thus her future. Riza jumped at the hand that pressed to the small of her back.

"It's just me." Roy said softly, his hands now held up in the air in surrender.

The funeral had ended hours ago, Riza had assumed she was the only one left.  It seemed Roy had stayed despite her request that he leave her be. It would be cruel to reveal that every time she saw his face, she relived that night in his office, her own screams at her father’s lifeless form echoing into the caverns of her mind. Berthold Hawkeyes death had been painful and dirty, her mother had been sick and died in her sleep. This was vivid, gruesome and far too real to pretend it could be a nightmare.

"I haven't cried for him." Her voice sounded strained even to her own ears.

He stuck his hands into the pockets of his trench coat, his gaze lifting to the sky. "I don't think he would have wanted you to."

Swallowing, she fought the aching inside, "You knew him better than I did I suppose."

He frowned at the comment. "I don't think anyone really knew him."

She wasn't sure why he was looking at her as if she was about to break. "Guess I'm the last Hawkeye."

He reached out and gripped her forearms, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "You're not alone, you know, that right?"

Riza shuddered, he was intense as ever. "You know what I mean."

"No, I don't think I do." He replied, his tone searching.

Looking around at the empty graveyard she felt the edges of her sadness whip out like angry little vines. "Why are you still here?"

Roy let go of her arms, his hands falling to his sides with a sigh. "Didn't think you would want to be alone today."

"Maybe I do." She replied bluntly. "He left his research to you so you don't have to keep playing pretend with me anymore, it's yours."

"Pretending?" He screwed up his face, the shadows from the shrinking daylight filling the creases in his glare. "Is that what you think? You think I dated you to get your fathers research?"

Her father had used her, he had used her to further his research and he had left without a goodbye. It seemed perfectly rational that Roy would take his place and the idea sent shockwaves through her system, every precaution firing around her heart. She wasn't going to cry so she lashed out and he was an unmoving target. "I know you Roy, you've been a good friend but I think we both know this isn't going to continue."

Roy barked out a laugh, before stepping closer, his height staggering over her. He had always had a darker side to him. "You do realize why I spent every moment learning from your father, every night staying late enough to eat your dinners, every excuse to come and find you, every move one step closer. Always one step closer to you Don't be dense now Elizabeth."

Before she could argue he had pulled something out of his pocket, the silver chain glinting in the light.

"It's terrible timing, but you give me no choice you stubborn-woman. I will mourn the loss of a brilliant man but I will not stop seeing you and I will not pretend to be anything but in love with you."

Eyeing the letters dangling from the chain that was now around her neck Riza tried to find those stores of anger, the depths of sadness but she was fishing in the dark. "Your letters?"

"Think it's time we stopped  _pretending_  so to speak."

You may only lavalier a girl once and Riza knew that it was an honor second to none. Engagements can be broken, marriages ended, but a lavalier can never be taken away. Her jaw must have been on the ground.

He paused, his expression looking strained. "I told your father a week ago that I loved you."

She could feel the blood leaving her face. "What?"

"He was a terrible father Riza, but he always wanted you to be happy."

 Even with the necklace securely around her neck and his hand around her waist she couldn't say it back. She had been holding it in for so long she didn't know how to say it anymore.

"I love you Elizabeth, you will never be alone." 

The house was quiet when she returned, the only occupant sitting alone on the back porch letting the autumn breeze chill her down to the bone. 

"Winry? What are you doing up so late?"

The young girl continued to stare absently out towards the empty yard. "Can't sleep."

All the new members always spent the night before initiation in the sorority house. It was usually an all-nighter of games, food, stories and laughter but with everyone sound asleep she realized the impact she had left on the chapter. The letters of love and the home cooked dinner left in the fridge for her showed her that her sisters were truly thinking of her. "Nervous about tomorrow?" 

"A little, but that's not why I can't sleep." She responded softly.

She wasn't likely to find sleep, not with thoughts of her late father knocking at her reserves or the declaration of love she had not exactly returned. "Something bothering you?"

"Just worried about my friend Edward." She glanced away, "And you."

Edward, Riza had heard rumors about those two at date night and she sincerely doubted friend was a strong enough word. "Don't worry about me." She admitted more to herself, "I'll be alright."

She was momentarily caught off guard by the sadness in the younger girl's eyes. "I knew someone who lost both of their parents."

Both parents. It felt like someone had doused her in ice water, and once the chill ran down her spine, she felt like she might never be warm again. The thought crept up on her and began to sink in. How long until she couldn't remember what her mother's voice sounded like or the scent of her perfume? How long until she forgot her father’s bark of a laugh as rare as it was to hear. Her eyes felt damp, how long would it be before she forgot she ever had a family? "How did they deal with it?" Riza asked, viscerally aware of how hard her heart was hammering against her chest.

"She found sisters and they showed her what she didn't know she had been missing, they made her happy again. She remembered what it was like to have a family."

Riza blinked quickly, there was something rising under her sternum. "I'm so sorry."

Wiping away the tears from her face Winry half shrugged. "I know how it feels to be lonely." Riza let her lean against her shoulder.

Riza couldn't answer because once she began to cry it became impossible to speak.

**(Winry)**

It's the tragedy in life that brings people together.  Winry had never felt as close to her sisters as she did that day. She thought of all those broken people in the world and how if you looked close enough you could see every crack and break. While it made her feel guilty there was comfort in knowing that she wasn't the only one who had been forced to grow up too quickly. 

"This is it, the last step you take before you become one of us." Gracia looked around expectantly. "If your heart isn't with us, then this is your last chance to walk away."

Winry thought that was silly because you don't walk away from family and for the first time, she felt like she belonged. No one made fun of her obsession with automail, no one laughed at her dreams to be a surgeon and no one made her feel anything less than family.

Beaming, Gracia smiled at them in kind. "Don't be nervous."

Winry was under the impression that there was a hidden task that had yet to be revealed. Of course she was excited to become a full member and witness the secret ritual and the reason behind the sisterhood. But faced with the unknown she wasn't so sure she would describe this whole ordeal as beautiful just yet.

Rubbing the sweat off her palms Winry couldn't shake her nerves as she walked forward down the dark hallway. The soft and gentle melody caught her ears, pulling her in deeper with its lullaby. Each girl was taken in by themselves into the large meeting room. The drapes had been drawn, the only light coming from a few candles placed around the room. The sisters were already seated on each side forming an aisle in which she was currently being led up. The focal point of the room and most assuredly the place she was being led to was a figure dressed in a white robe, the hood of which blocked their face from view. She had never seen anything quite like it.

Once she was standing a mere foot away from the figure she relaxed as Olivier's voice carried out from under the cover of the hood. "Please kneel."

Winry knelt down gently before looking back up into her big sister’s face.

"Raise your right hand and repeat after me."

Her hand rose slowly as she tried to piece together just exactly what was happening.

"I solemnly swear…"

Winry almost forgot to repeat the words once she had heard them. "I solemnly swear."

"I will not reveal the secrets I learn as the veil is lifted off of our mysteries."

No pressure, right? Winry waited with baited breath, hoping she had remembered it clearly. "I will not reveal the secrets I learn as the veil is lifted off our mysteries."

"I will trust my sisters and in return will be worthy of their trust."

"I will trust my sisters and in return will be worthy of their trust."

She continued to repeat after Olivier until at last she heard Olivier say. "You are now a member of Kappa Delta, as such we hold you to a higher standard. Make nothing stand in your way, let nothing chase away your dreams and never forget the sisterhood that brought you here. Remember your vows, remember this day and remember to always live to be worthy of our name. Please rise."

Winry was led to Gracia who adorned similar robes, only hers were slightly less ostentatious. Gracia removed the new member badge from Winry's top replacing it with the member badge which consisted of a large triangle with a diamond K in the middle. "This badge symbols your commitment to Kappa Delta, the colors…" She pinned two ribbons of royal blue and mint green to her shirt. "…the blue for faith and green loyalty."

At this point Riza stepped up, the sadness gone from her eyes. Winry smiled, she was getting to be a part of a family again. "The secret handshake," She held her hand raised, pulling up Winry's to press against hers before closing her other hand, as well as her own around the two pressed together. Once they let go, she stood next to Gracia, "The national password can only be given in the presence of Kappa Deltas." She turned to Gracia, "Are you a Kappa Delta?"

"Blue of the sky, I do not lie."

Riza smiled back, finishing the last part. "Green of the grass, so have you passed."

The rest of the ceremony might as well have been spoken in Latin for all Winry cared. Her mind was still trying to absorb everything when at last Olivier called for everyone to rise to their feet.

"Raise your right hands and repeat after me."

As a sisterhood they repeated the same vows Winry realized she had just taken when she had gone through.

"As we bring in the new and reaffirm the old, let us never forget the truth of our loyalty and the strength of our hearts."

All around her the girls began to do the secret handshake to one another before Olivier smiled at them, removing the hood from her head. Walking over to Winry she embraced her for a moment. "Congrats little sister, you have just survived initiation."

Winry glanced at Riza who was surrounded by her sisters, a smile that spread from her lips to her eyes. There was only one word that came to mind,  _home_. At last she was home.

**(Roy)**

The loud knock on his door made Roy jump up in haste. He stared at the sullen boy standing in his doorway. Edward stood hunched and full of awkwardness.

"Edward." He addressed him.

"Can we talk?"

In the midst of everything Roy had somehow forgotten that the kid had gone off on a bender. "I believe that's what we are doing."

Edward visibly bristled at the statement. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm quitting."

"Quitting what?" He had a suspicion of what it was, but he would rather Ed say it.

"I'm done pledging for Beta Tau Alpha."

After his theatrics the last time Roy had seen him, he might have had an inkling that a blow up was due. "Any particular reason why?" 

"No." Edward answered a little too zealously.

"There's nothing you want to say to me then?" Roy tried once again to figure him out. He knew of a lot of people that liked to hide behind their words, himself included.

"No."

Roy frowned, "I really thought you were going to do great things." He let the comment have its gravity, "I guess I was wrong."

"You wouldn't be the first."

Roy didn't answer and watched him leave without a fight. He could hear the front door slam shut and even Hughes confused voice calling his name, but he decided that he could only try so much before the responsibility needed to fall on someone else. 

**(Rose)**

Rose watched as Winry entered their room, feigning sleep when she caught her smiling. They had both been initiated that day. A feeling of guilt tugged at her conscious like a spoiled brat of a child. She had stood up in front of her big sister and vowed a pledge of truth without ever having spoken it. Noa had demanded that they get loads of pictures together and had even given her the traditional paddle decorated with their letters and pictures. Rose felt the bile rise up in her throat as she thought about the things she couldn't explain. She was the first to admit that Noa and some of her sisters seemed a bit shallow at times, but who was she to judge? Her conscious tugged again, demanding its due, because was a liar and a cheat any better?

Once she was sure Winry's breathing had evened out into a steady flow she slipped from her bed and pulled a black dress from the hanger. Lining her eyes like a smoky haze and coating her lips in a deep shade of red Rose paused for only a moment. She needed to escape, she needed to pretend that the girl looking back at her in the mirror was anything but a liar.

Distraction, attention, and everything in between. Rose was craving the escape and the boys on that porch called her to them as if they needed her as much as she thought she needed them. She didn't recognize the letters on the house or why she thought going out alone was reasonable. All Rose knew was that they weren't Delta Tau and they would help her forget all about Noa.

Her mind went numb as she flirted and laughed, each drink another step closer to total blackout. Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw a few of her sister's disappearing upstairs with a couple different guys. Warning signs never went off in her head as to what it was that was happening around her.

Just as she was about to follow a few boys upstairs herself she saw him and her heart stopped.

"Rose!" He clicked his tongue like he was chiding a child. Leto grinned, "Look at you, aren't you just a walking sin."

"I just can't seem to escape you, can I?" Rose felt her hand rise to her mouth. Her words sounded sultry and betrayed every sense of hate and animosity she thought she owed him.

He inched closer, his lips brushing against her ear. "And why would you want to escape me?"

The blood pulsated through her veins, practically screaming at her. “I don't."


	9. Initiation Pt.2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was the start of something new, or maybe it was the end of something else.

**(Gracia)**

Gracia was brushing her teeth in the bathroom when she first saw it. Mouth gaping open, toothpaste drooling out and everything. Behind her in the mirror Gracia caught sight of a shiny metal chain around her friend's neck as she stepped out of the shower stall in a towel.

Of course, she had hoped for this moment, but that didn't make it any less stunning. Not sensing her obvious disbelief Riza walked up next to her and began to brush out her short blonde locks. 

Riza must have finally looked properly up at her because her brushing stopped.

"What? Is there something on my face?" Riza checked the mirror briefly before turning back to her.

At this distance Gracia knew without a doubt what it was. Feeling a little betrayed that her friend hadn't felt the need to tell her something like this she washed out her mouth before setting her toothbrush back. Grabbing her towel, she could feel the tears budding in her eyes, she had thought they were closer than friends, they were supposed to be sisters.

"Congrats." She muttered casting a meaningful glance at the letters around her neck before walking out of the bathroom.

**(Edward)**

His chemistry book remained untouched amongst the piles of schoolwork haphazardly piled around his room. Ed had spent much of his childhood reading his father’s textbooks and dreaming of doing something great. That all seemed rather childish and unrealistic to him now. The foolish dream of bringing his brother back seemed like a half assed attempt to follow in his father's useless shoes. 

_Useless._

Yeah, that's what he felt closest to at the moment. Joining Beta Tau Alpha had given him a purpose, even if its origins had been founded in pissing off his father. Now that the wind had been knocked out of his sails, he just felt lost. There was still a part of him that believed the fraternity could solve some of his problems and maybe even give him a taste of what it must be like to have a family again. The other part knew better; it knew that any happiness would just be a band aid over a gaping wound. His hand twitched towards his phone, a subconscious signal that he needed to talk to someone. Instead of grabbing it he leaned back in his desk chair, shutting his eyes as the suffocating room closed in on him.

Something had to give, he knew his younger brother couldn't stay in purgatory forever. The thought left him guilt ridden and ashamed. Ignoring the horrible doubt that wrapped around his neck he swallowed back his indecision and practically fled his room. Rushing to his car he was thrown as the key turned but the engine never took.

"Come on." He sneered, his fists pounding against the steering wheel. At this point the engine was probably flooded.

Pulling the keys out of the ignition Edward slumped in the driver's seat of the corvette. The car had been a high school graduation present from Hohenheim.  _Nice present dad; restore the car that killed your wife and put your son in a coma_. But like the good son he thought he was, Edward took the car as a gee thanks dad, I’ll be sure to reminisce about the worst day of my life. He thought about the car for a moment, both of them had had one hell of a past. No one would be able to tell that this corvette had once flipped over three times before smashing into a tree. Sometimes he let his mind dwell on the idea that if it had crashed once, it could do it again. Maybe he wouldn't be so lucky a second time. Then again, those thoughts always left him feeling hollow and cruel for fantasizing about death when he had the luxury of living. 

It came fast, like a lightning bolt out of the sky, Winry. She was a mechanic, right? A tantalizing image of her working in coveralls, with oil on her bare arms gave him more to think about than he wanted to at the moment. Slamming the car door shut he kicked the front tire as if it could answer for all the fucked-up thoughts in his head. Aiming a few more kicks at the defenseless tire he heard the sound of a car pull up.

"Need a lift?"

Edward eyed the imposing figure of Alex Armstrong carefully. "No, I'm fine." He must not have heard that he wasn't pledging anymore.

"Aha, you'll have to forgive me, I feel as if we've stumbled across a lie. Now what has this poor tire done to earn your anger?" His eyes twinkled with a kindness that betrayed his imposing size.

It made him feel childish and embarrassed but he responded anyways. "Not much use to me if it can't even start."

"Where are you headed? I have time on my hands and you look like you could use it."

Edward imagined his shaved head to be like some kind of lighthouse directing lost ships at night. Maybe he had a sense for lost ships at sea or fumbling idiots at work. "Enough time that you could take me to Central Hospital?"

The large man's muscles flexed as his face beamed. "The hospital it is."

His mouth tugged down at the edges. "You're not going to ask why I need to go to the hospital?"

The large man grabbed the latch of the passenger side door and opened it. "You need a ride and I have a car. I don't need any other reason." His eyes squinted shut as his grin stretched across his face. "Although for emergency sake I should probably know considering it may determine the speed in which we drive."

"I’m fine, just visiting someone." Edward could tell he knew that was a lie too, but he didn't impose. Sitting back in the seat Edward couldn't help but eye the old jeep wrangler's rather ordinary existence. Armstrong was a name synonymous with wealth, why was Alex driving a beat-up old Jeep?

"Olivier thinks it's ridiculous too."

Snapping out of his revere he turned to look at Alex. "Huh?"

"The car." He patted the steering wheel in a rather affectionate gesture. "She thinks it was a waste of money."

Waste of money, was that something Armstrong’s actually worried about? They could waste money for years and it wouldn't even make a dent in their fortune. "I never said it was ridiculous." He countered.

"But you think because my family is rich that I should be driving something a little more expensive, right?" He prompted.

No, that wasn't entirely it. "You bought this yourself, didn't you?"

"Bingo." Alex laughed jovially as if he were the most amusing man on the planet. "Besides, nothing says rugged like a Jeep, right?" He flexed his muscles for good measure.

At last they had finally arrived; though he wasn't sure exactly why that 15-minute ride had made him regret quitting BTA.

"Want me to stay while you go in?" He offered.

Ed thought it over but the idea of him sitting all alone in the parking lot felt pathetic and sad. "Nah, thanks for the lift though."

"Anytime, that's what brothers are for, right?"

Brothers. Funny how he seemed to tear apart any relationship that started and ended with brother. Edward turned quickly, raising his hand in the air as a final send off.

The older nurse at the front desk smiled at his approach her eyes drifting up towards the clock on the wall. "You know, the time for visitors ended two hours ago."

Shoving his hands into his pockets he followed her gaze to the clock, fair enough. Maybe he should have asked Alex to stay.

"I didn't say you had to leave. I said visiting hours are over." Stretching, her shoulder made a light popping sound before she lifted up an empty coffee cup. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get some more coffee…probably take about 20 minutes before I get back."

Ed didn't miss the hidden smirk on her face nor the way she slid the chart of patient room numbers slightly towards him. "Have a good night." She sang sweetly as she walked away from the desk and down an opposite hallway.

His nose wrinkled up at the smell of cleaning products and disinfectant, the distant aroma of 409 seemed to sink right through your pores as soon as you walked in. Ignoring the occasional moans, the distant sounds of voices and of course the incessant beepings of machines he walked down the hall until at last he had reached room 504. Checking to make sure no one was watching he opened the door, shutting it firmly behind him as he stepped into the small room.

Someone had turned on the TV, the drapes pulled shut for the night. It was the small touches that got to him, the small things some of the nurses did that made it seem like someone actually inhabited the room. Finding a chair in the corner of the room he slid it up next to the bed, his gaze sliding up the starchy blankets to the frail form that lay beneath. His brother’s blond hair had long outgrown its usual style, though he wouldn't let anyone cut it. The sight of his brother's hair growing gave him hope; it reminded him that something inside him was still fighting to live.

"Hey Al…" The steady rhythm on the monitor never wavered.

He recounted the events of hell week, startled by smile that kept tugging at the corner of his mouth. It was easy to imagine his younger brothers face as he described the horrible taste of food when it's way past its expiration date, running naked and cleaning the house along with all the other crazy and undesirable tasks he had accomplished. He hesitated for a brief moment as he described winning date night with Winry.

"She's different than most girls. I bet you'd really like her." He tapped his automail fingers on the chair’s armrest. "Best automail I've ever had too." He paused again, the realization slamming into him. He swallowed hard, "Not sure why she sticks around someone like me."

His speech ran out as he stared at his brother’s pale face. The conversation with his father ran through his mind.

"We're running out of time Al, you gotta respond to these treatments." His voice cracked. "I know you're somewhere, you have to come back before it's too late."

"Edward, it's past visiting hours."

Ed looked up at his father's face and wondered how long he might have been standing there for. "I'm just leaving."

"Don't" His father requested.

He paused thinking there was something in the way his father stood there. Maybe he actually had something to say.

"Look at him Edward. He's wasting away."

Edward imagined his father had an accusatory tone but he always imagined his father like that. "I know."

"I don't want you coming here and wasting away too."

"Like you do at moms grave." Edward could feel his insecurity lashing out protectively around him.

"You're a smart boy Edward I want you to do well in school, make something of yourself."

"What does that have to do with Al?"

Hohenheim looked down at him through his spectacles. The act always left Edward feeling a bit childish and small.

"Everything. Beta Tau Alpha? Running around with that mechanic? You cannot afford to waste your life. Look at Alphonse, look at your brother. You were given this opportunity, his has been taken from him."

Ed wanted to say horrible things and tell him what a horrible father he really was, but suddenly it didn't matter. Nothing mattered because it was all true.

"Your brother was always more like your mother."

Edward left the hospital thinking about his little brother's impending demise and how he would never stop punishing himself.

**(Rose)**

Pulling the sheet up, she covered her body before lying back down. Taking a deep breath, she stared anywhere but the empty spot on the bed next to her. There was no one to blame this time but herself. She had willingly pulled him into bed. Once it started, she couldn't remember why she should stop even now she wasn't entirely sure what they had could be stopped.

Still, he wasn't to be trusted and despite the most peculiar words coming out of his mouth the night before she was determined to not trust him. Most likely she had misheard him, but she could have sworn he had kissed her forehead before he mumbled sweet dreams. Do bad people say things like that when they think no one is listening? Is she a bad person for not caring?

She stared at the imprint of where a head had once laid, but was now only a small indicator that last night had been real. No, this picture fit much better with Leto. He wasn't the kind of man who stayed, who could be trusted, who she could love. He was a drug, a desired, but deadly concoction that was going to take her down if she didn't find a way to escape. So why was she still there?

When the door swung open, she could almost hear her jaw drop to the floor.

"Breakfast is served!" He set the tray down on her lap before reclaiming his spot next to her, grabbing a piece of bacon and shoving it into his mouth.

"Breakfast? You brought me breakfast in bed?" Who was this stranger and what had he done with Leto?

"Mm hmm." He answered the food still in his mouth.

Without really thinking about it she dug a fork into the pancakes. Part of her half expected it to taste like lies and treachery, but buttermilk pancakes had never melted in her mouth quicker. "You made these?" She asked in awe.

His forehead wrinkled in distaste, "Hell no, the pledges made this."

Right, it couldn't have been that simple.

"Why, what's wrong with it?" He added curiously before grabbing the fork from her hands and taking a bite himself.

"It's not right."

"Tastes just fine to me." He replied unconvinced.

"I meant this, you-" She gestured between them. "Us, eating breakfast in bed." She didn't think she needed to explain any further. He seemed to have fewer if any expectations about what they were than she did.

He leaned closer, his mouth brushing against her shoulder blade. "Then what is it supposed to be like?"

Feeling more confused than ever Rose shoved the tray onto his lap, standing up out of his reach. "This is something happy couples do. They make love all night and then eat breakfast in bed with each other."

"So, what of it?" He forked another piece of pancake into his mouth.

"You didn't tell Noa did you?" It wasn't much of a question as it was an accusation.

"Neither did you." He shot back before picking up the tray and starting to finish off the meal.

"Would you stop eating! This is important!" She scolded him harshly.

A low sigh caught her ears as she watched him slowly stand up and face her. She wasn't expecting the hard look on his face to mean what it did. Waiting for him to match her anger she was confused as he pulled her into his embrace. She would have liked to say that she did all that was in her power to resist him, but that never happened. When he finally broke away, she just gaped at him in confusion; that was not the reaction she had anticipated.

Leto simply grinned before shrugging his shoulders. "You are the most irresistible when you're pissed."

Defeated by his carefree attitude Rose felt the fight drain out of her. "What are we doing?"

He gave her a long searching look, "I don't know." He answered his voice rough. "But I don't think we should stop."

 

**(Zolf Kimbley)**

She was sitting at her desk, blond locks tucked behind a set of pierced ears as she scribbled frantic notes. They were covering the first emperors of Xing and from the looks of it this girl was trying her best to pull out every bit and piece of information from his lecture that she could. He had been watching her for quite some time now, ever since the beginning of school to be exact, today his focus was on the small streak of what looked like oil on her cheek. The girl must have been initiated into her sorority; she had walked in proudly sporting the Kappa Delta letters. Good girl, he liked KD girls, they had a kind of fighting spirit that couldn't be tamed.  
His face cracked with a smile, he wondered if she knew today was her lucky day.

**(Winry)**

Ten, ten emperors had sat in the throne over the span of only two years. How in the world was she going to pass Xingese history? To begin with, she wasn't entirely convinced the course would be of use to her in the medicinal field, but she had been wrong before. Her hand ached a little; the pressure of writing so much in such a short amount of time was beginning to show. That and she had put in a good 5 hours that morning at a local garage as a way to pay for her tuition. So far, she had performed a lot of standard issue checks, oil changes and a replaced one rusted tire rod. The garage had been reluctant to hire her, she figured it might not have been a good idea to show up to her interview in her favorite black skirt and the heels Rose had insisted she wear instead of her black boots. It seemed that the head guy Tony was still leery of her expertise, though she hadn't heard a word of complaint on her work thus far. Winry reminded herself that with time they would learn to take her seriously.

As the professor announced the next class meetings assignment, she quickly began to pack up her books. Ed had called her at work and said he needed to talk with her. She had a feeling it was about his brother and she didn't want to waste any time. Edward wanting to talk made her feel important in ways she didn't want to think about it too deeply or else she might not be able to look at him properly. There was something she needed to tell him too; unless maybe that was the reason, he wanted to see her. She smiled happily, she hoped it was the reason he wanted to see her. After all she had pulled an all-nighter fixing his car. Though in truth he hadn't asked her, but word has spread fast and between his brothers and Maes connection with Gracia she had not only managed to find out his car needed fixing but they had gotten a hold of his keys as well. The key part didn't come as a shock to her because Havoc looked like a smug toad when he handed them over. Winry had a feeling there was a good story behind that.

About to bolt out of the classroom a guy knocked straight into her. Rubbing her arm, she was about to say a quick apology when one hand gripped her arm rather tightly. Halting in her step she turned over her shoulder in surprise.

"Wait." The stranger requested of her.

Oh wow. Her heart thudded in her chest, this guy was gorgeous. His long, shiny black hair was pulled back into a ponytail reminding her of a golden eyed boy she had been heading off to see. Only this man's eyes were sharp and piercing, his jaw line tight as if smiling was an uncommon occurrence. Again, she tried to utter an apology but the words fell flat as his hand came up, brushing her cheek in a caress.

Aw hell. Trying to stifle the rush of blood to her face she managed a rather uncharismatic, "Huh?"

He turned his hand over revealing a black smudge. "You had oil on your face."

"Oh." The way he stared at her sent chills down her spine. "Thanks."

A serene look of calm indifference was his entire being. "Your name is Winry right?"

He knew her name? She wondered if the professor had called it out before, she couldn't remember if she ever spoken out loud in class. "Yes. I'm sorry, but have we met?"

She wasn't very good at picking up signals, but the way he was grinning at her seemed to say the obvious. "We have chemistry together too." The grin widened, "You can call me Zolf."

Winry contemplated what he had just said; she knew he wasn't in her lab. But her chemistry lecture was an awfully big class, there was a possibility he was there and she had never noticed him before.

"You look like you are in a rush, but would you like to grab coffee with me?"

Dating in Resembool was a completely different realm than here at Central University. Winry had only ever dated one guy in high school and it had been the talk of the town when she had broken things off to go off to college. But dating here, well Rose was a good example if any about how you could juggle five guys if you wanted and no one would be the wiser. Then again maybe he was just being friendly. Her instincts told her that probably wasn't the case.

"Sorry, I'm supposed to meet someone. Maybe next time?" He was a good-looking guy, but she wasn't a juggler like Rose, she preferred a one man show. Edward was all the man she could handle at the moment even if he might not think the same about her.

The grin etched itself further into his features. "Next time it is."

As she walked up the dorm stairs towards Edwards's floor, she could feel her heart still beating loudly. Did she just agree to going out for coffee with that guy? Maybe she could avoid him long enough for the semester to end. Knocking on the door she put Zolf out of her mind and worried about the one man who she was crazy about.

She knocked a few times, but when he didn't answer she began to pull out her phone to check if he was home when she overheard voices down the hall. Unfortunately, one of the raised voices sounded an awful lot like Edward.

The door to the common room was wide open. Winry began to edge closer, her curiosity winning out because there could be no disguising who was in there. Jean Havoc was apparently intent on giving Ed a verbal lashing. She should have walked away and come back later. She  _should have_.

"If you could just tell me why you quit then maybe I would leave you alone!" Havoc shouted in retaliation to whatever Ed must have said.

"I hate it here." Ed replied fiercely.

Her heart sank a little, hate it?

"I understand if you don't want to be a brother, but you can't talk with me anymore?"

"I'm not your brother anymore Havoc."

She could almost hear the gears of automail protesting as the pause dragged out. Winry stayed frozen, Jean was a big boy, he could handle himself.

"So, you're just going to hole back up in your room that daddy paid for and forget all your friends? Do you even understand what we've all done to help you, do you even care?"

His voice was so soft Winry had to lean in to hear. Subconsciously she held her breath as if she might miss his words if she took it in.

"I didn't ask for your help." His voice sounded cold.

"So that's it then." Havoc barked out a laugh, "I would kill for a girl like Winry to wait on me hand and foot. She dropped everything to come and fix your car today but you're too good for us, aren't you?" He sounded disappointed.

"Don't worry Ill ease your burden. Winry's my mechanic I’m sure she'll have a bill waiting for me."

He wanted to pay her for her services. Something was cracking and the more Winry stood there the more aware she was that she had been holding her breath for far too long.

"Paid, like some cheap trick? That’s how low you think of us."

"Think whatever you want Havoc. I don't need friends who don't know when to quit and I can find a mechanic anywhere I go."

Several things happened at once, the horrified look on Havocs face as he watched Ed storm out or maybe it was seeing her standing there and of course the look on Ed's face as he saw her standing there. His complexion whitened as he raised a hand in her direction but she didn't want a confrontation. A part of her was waiting with a wrench but the other part was having trouble explaining why she wanted to cry more than fight.

She would give him credit, he was a fast runner. Winry was barely out of the dorm before he caught up to her. Just seeing him standing there looking sorry made the blood boil under her skin. She couldn't fathom how in the world she had mistaken his friendship for something more.

"Winry."

He said her name like he cared and that more than anything stung. "I accept cash or credit."

"That’s unfair." He looked frustrated.  _Good, they were in agreement then_. "I didn't mean for you to hear that." He finished, in her opinion, a little lamely.

"Then why say it?" The cover of anger she had been hiding behind was crumbling down and it was all she could do to not stoke the flames.

"Things are complicated."

"Complicated? I think you've made our relationship very clear."

Edward looked a bit unhinged and she didn't necessarily blame him. It was the first time either of them had uttered the word relationship out loud. "You have no idea the pressure I'm under."

She failed to find any sympathy. "No? Well explain it to me then." 

"You have no idea what it’s like to live knowing your father blames you for your mother's death and your brothers’ condition. None of you know."

"Because you won't explain it." Winry grit out from between her clenched rows of teeth.

"I shouldn't have to." He sneered back.

"Right." Winry decided she was done. "Of all the people in this world who would know what it’s like to have dead parents I certainly am not one of them."

There really wasn't much more to say so she let the disappointment and sadness sink in and decided she was worth more than the pitiful excuses he wanted to pawn off on her. Edward did not follow but that was fine with her.

**(Hughes)**

Gracia was upset; of that he was viscerally aware. What had him stumped however was where it had come from. A part of him felt guilty that he had found out who lavaliered Riza before she did and the other half couldn't stand that it was his pledge brother that had caused her little sister to had red rimmed eyes and no other explanation.

Of the two he thought he ought to start with the more pressing issue at hand. He was going to have a talk with young Edward Elric. Specifically, he was going to wring his neck if that's what it took. Whatever alternate reality Edward was operating under needed to be shut down. Pounding on the kid’s dorm room door he folded his arms across his chest and waited. There were a few choice words he had saved up, especially after seeing the look on Winry's face when she came to speak with his fiancé Gracia

Gracia loved Winry like a little sister and Hughes had quickly felt the same. Ed had pulled one of the stupidest stunts he had seen in a while and that was saying something considering his best friend was Roy.

Elric took one look at him and started to shut the door, "Go away." He muttered darkly under his breath.

Maes gripped the door, refusing to let it shut. "Mind if I come in?" He asked politely though he was going to do it anyway.

Backing away Ed didn't look like he was going to refuse him after all. "Well I suppose I should get right into it. You want to explain to me why everyone seems to think you've lost your goddamn mind?"

He didn't swear and he was sure that his use of the word was the reason the kids face scrunched up in surprise. Ed was in fact a lot like his best friend, and he knew how to deal with Roy when things got bad. “I know about your brother Ed. Best we talk about our problems out in the open so we don't have to pretend behind intoxicated or angered facades." 

"This isn't about him."

"Then what  _is_  it about?" Maes pressed, unrelenting in his quest to understand.

When Ed couldn't answer him Maes sighed, sitting on top of his desk. "Listen, I didn't come here to yell at you. I came here because I believe, as do many others, that you are self-destructing." He waited for him to disagree but Edward remained silent. "You're a freshman and you're allowed to make some pretty big mistakes, but from one brother-."

"I'm not-"

Maes held up his hand, "From one brother to another, just stop and think what this is costing you."

Ed had sat down on his bed, his head bowed. Maes pretended not to see. "Oh, and Ed?"

The younger man slowly pulled up his gaze from the floor.

"Go apologize to Winry. Trust me when I say that's one mistake you will regret."

**(Noa)**

Noa slammed the gavel down on the table, "Order!" She shouted over the smattering of outbursts that had followed her announcement.

"This is a formal meeting and you will remain silent unless I give you permission to speak." Her eyes darted around the room, daring someone to contradict her. "Now, our field consultant will be with us starting next week. That means no partying at night, no drinking in the house and no boys over after 10pm. Is that clear?"

She wasn't a big fan of having a field consultant stay with them, but nationals insisted upon a visit at least once a year. They were fortunate it wasn't during Greek Week.

Two hands raised high. The look on her sisters faces clearly betraying their unrest. "Yes Kelly?"

The strawberry blond looked at her twin briefly before standing up to address the chapter. "I understand the house rules are back into place, but no partying? How is she going to know that we were out partying? Especially if we just spend the night there?" Her face lit up with a smug smile as she waited for Noa to respond.

Being president gave her a great deal of power and persuasion over her sisters, but it also meant that she had to toe the line when it came to nationals. If she wanted to get their annual Alpha Zeta mud wrestling tournament approved, she needed to make sure this visit went as smoothly as possible. Obviously, there were some things the chapter did that would be frowned upon.

The rest of meeting went as expected, the occasional objections were overruled and the overall attention span was past its due as she tapped the gavel to end their meeting. Once she had concluded the proceedings, she caught sight of her little sister standing off to the side.

Rose had held her tongue, had not made a scene and thus far was proving to be a wise decision as her little sister. However, it had not escaped her attention that Rose had been a little too quiet as of late. Feeling particularly sisterly Noa quickly stowed the rest of the materials from meeting into her Alpha Zeta bag and caught up to Rose.

"What's up?"

The devastating look on her sister's face made her drawback. God, had someone died?

"Do you think we could go somewhere to talk?" Her voice sounded so unsure.

Just as she was about to reply Suzy grabbed her arm forcefully. "I need to talk to you."

Noa looked between them briefly; her little could wait for a moment. "This will only take a minute, wait for me up in my room Rose."

Suzy was Vice President and despite her tiny size she could be intimidating when she wanted to be. However, if this was about the field consultant visit, heads would roll.

"There's something you should know." Suzy pressed her hands over her neatly pressed skirt. Noa wondered what kind of conversation this was going to be. Taking a dramatic pause Suzy cleared her throat. "Two of the girls and myself were at the Delta Iota Kappa house last night."

Well that wasn't a surprise; she knew a few of her sisters had a thing for the rough and tough boys of DIK.

"Noa, we saw Rose with Leto."

A rush of blood to her head made the room sway. "Rose, my little sister Rose?" She spoke coldly.

Suzy goaded her lightly, "We can make her life hell Noa."

"By with him, what exactly are you implying?"

Suzy could have just won a medal because she looked triumph enough to make Noa’s fists twitch. She held out her phone, revealing a photo. 

Noa knew her hands had begun to shake as she pushed passed Suzy and began to walk towards her room. There waiting with a pained expression on her face was the one person she had thought she might be able to depend. She was never the stupid girl she pretended to be, there was no one in the sorority that actually liked one another. 

"I want you out."

The young girl looked ready to cry, "Wait Noa, please let me explain!" she whimpered.

Oh, it was quite clear what she would explain and though Noa knew Leto had not been faithful, she had never imagined it would be one of her sisters. "You can turn in your letters tomorrow."

When she followed in the wake of Rose's tearful exit Noa felt all eyes on her. Girls were peaking their heads out of their rooms, some still in their formal meeting attire, but all Noa felt was pain. Suzy offered her open arms but Noa closed her door and began to pace. Once bitten by a snake one must suck the poison out or die a slow and painful death.


	10. Playing Games

**(Rose)**

By the time she dragged herself back to her dorm room, Rose had fully considered how to answer the questions that would be demanded of her. First, she had ignored her roommate’s texts and now she was about to walk in looking like a hot mess. Instead she came face to face with a mirror. Winry was sitting at her desk, automail designs sprawled in front of her, but the large and angry red lines crossing them out told a new story. Her roommate had been crying and while Rose knew she should ask why, selfishly she stayed silent. Winry would have to be the one to break it and Rose knew she would.

"Rose?" The soft tone to her voice shattered the stillness of the room. "Are you ok?"

The simple question and the sincerity behind it shook her. It crumbled the protective layer she had put around herself after she had handed in her letters. Explaining what had happened would also require her to explain the things she had done with Leto. And for whatever reason she still couldn't quite account for any of it. It had been a long and cold walk through the Alpha Zeta house on her way to turning in her letters. Never before had she ever felt so hated or despised. Rose had felt childish when the pleas had come unbidden out of her mouth but they had fallen on deaf ears.

"I was kicked out of Alpha Zeta today." It sounded almost as embarrassing and painful coming from her own lips as it had her big sisters.

Selfish, she knew she was being selfish when she let Winry stay silent and pity her. It wasn't as if she didn't care, it just felt so good to have someone acknowledge her pain. Rose was not about to deny a hug from her roommate or the sympathy that followed. They turned on her favorite shows and when night fell Winry was the one who went out to get them food.

"Olivier is picking me up to go out tonight and I think you should come." Winry finally admitted, standing up and pushing the blueprints she had destroyed off her desk and into the trash. "We can't stay cooped up here forever."

"Why can't we?" Rose wanted to start digging her hole and hunkering down until the siege was officially over.

"Come on Rose it might just make both of us feel better, get our minds off stupid things you know?" Winry went to the closet and pulled out some work out gear. "Here, put this on."

Rose held them up cautiously,  _gym clothes_? "I thought you said we were going out?"

Winry shrugged, "The last thing either of us needs is to be drinking. Trust me, this is much better." 

Olivier picked them up in style, or maybe that was just her normal ride. Winry had to explain that Olivier was from the wealthiest families in Amestris, the Armstrong's. The fast sports car was jaw dropping and Rose felt a bit awkward at squeezing into the back. Despite Olivier's lead foot they still managed to catch the looks of gawkers as she tore around corners. Rose imagined a police officer simply bowing his head towards the vivacious blonde and bidding her a nice drive. Sitting in that car it was hard to remember any cares with the wind in their hair and a driver who looked as if nothing could ever hold her down. It also felt refreshing to be stared at because of a nice car and not the shame she had cast upon herself.

Winry was different with the older girl and Rose found that as carefree as she suddenly felt a bit of jealousy was also starting to build. Olivier doted on her little sister and seemed keen to let her sit front seat. Rose had to remember she was just along for the ride and that she should be lucky to have a friend to even bring her mopey ass out.

Soon enough they were sitting outside Campus Park as other cars began to join them. Olivier parked the car and began to speak to the other girls wearing Kappa Delta letters. Once the older blond was out of eyesight Rose rounded on her roommate. "Mind telling me what we're doing?"

It must be something good because Winry looked like whatever had been bothering her had been shoved to the back of her mind. "It’s extreme flashlight tag."

"Tag, as in a child's game?" There was no hiding her disappointment. All this build up...then nothing.

Winry's shrugged, a coy smile on her face. "We play a little differently than most people do. We play what we like to call team knockout. If you get tagged you must join the team of the person who tagged you, the last team standing wins."

It still sounded like a children's game, but Rose figured playing pretend might be a good excuse to avoid being an adult.

About ten of the Kappa Delta girls joined them but Rose overheard Winry asking why one her favorite sisters, Gracia, wasn't there. Rose however was more interested in who was there. Riza, her former rho chi, gave a friendly wave but Rose suddenly felt sick. Would they treat her differently if they knew she was kicked out of her own sorority? It dawned on her that she hadn't even really tried to get to know Winry's sisters. About the only one she knew offhand was her rho chi Riza and now she felt like tainted goods.

Moments later they were joined by a few pickup trucks and one very loud SUV. Rose wearily eyed this new set of men. Lately men were synonymous with trouble. A few had Greek letters on and that only added to her dismay. Leto was more than enough frat boy for her at the moment.

"Aye Armstrong!" A confident looking Xingese guy jumped out of his truck and patted her on the back. The greeting must have been exchanged numerous times because the stern looking woman hardly acknowledged the gesture.

"Buccaneer." She returned his greeting before flashing the rest of the guys a calculating look. "These your new initiates?"

Laughing loudly, the guy towered over her and yet he never looked down at them. "Some. But don't worry Captain I brought your favorite."

Rose could have sworn she saw the ice queen melt, if just for a second.

"It's been awhile since we did this, still think you have me beat Cap?"

Olivier looked dangerously calm. "I'm good at winning."

Even in the dim lighting Rose could make out his foreign eyes. Those Ishvalan red eyes pierced enough to make her flinch. Strange, Olivier didn't seem swayed and while the rest parted the seas, she stood her ground. Rose felt envious of the way they toyed with the other while not saying a word.

**(Winry)**

Inviting Rose to play with her sorority could have had negative ramifications but it was obvious she needed the distraction and Winry could relate. Olivier happened to be captain of the football team, something Winry had only just discovered, which gave her reign over half the members of Alpha Chi. It had come as a shock that Olivier balanced being quarterback of Centrals undefeated football team while still managing to be President of their sorority. It was hard to measure up to that kind of greatness, but Olivier was anything but humble.

In fact, it was rare that someone rattled her big sister, that was it was rare until she witnessed Olivier and Miles. It wasn't particularly obvious but she could tell there was something there, whether they were aware or acting on it she wasn't sure. Then again people have their reasons for shutting their feelings away. Edward might be knocking on her door but she was determined to keep that particular one shut for now.

Once they arrived at the darkened park, they split into four teams. They counted off by fours to pick random teams and set off. Her team could best be described as wishful thinking. Somehow, she had gotten stuck with four of her pledge class sisters who were novices to the game and their best hope for winning, Miles.

Between the giggling and inability of her goodhearted, but uncoordinated sisters their team dwindled down to two in record time. Not wanting to be the first team out she stuck to Miles like glue, hoping in the back of her mind that Rose was having fun.

The dark shadows loomed around them but she had learned from Miles it was best to keep your flashlight off until you were sure you had found a target. Leave it to a military science guy to turn a game into a tactical operation.

"Climb up."

Winry stared up at the tree and back at her teammate. "Excuse me?"

He put his hands out, "I'll give you a boast." He offered helpfully.

Trying to stifle her laughter she shook her head, "I can't believe I'm doing this."

After helping her up he managed to climb up himself. The two sat side by side watching the ground below them. "Don't you think we should be out looking for the others?"

Miles shrugged his shoulders surveying the area around them. "Its strategic defense, not offense, that wins these games. But while I've got you stuck up here in the tree there's something, I've been meaning to ask you."

Winry grew a bit uncomfortable at the sudden closeness. "Uh sometimes it's better if you don't ask questions. You know, think about it a little more, let it mellow in your head before you say something you'll  _regret_."

He chuckled softly, "Nah, I don't think I'll regret saying this."

If he was about to come on to her Winry thought she might have to push him over the edge. "I think you will." She said bluntly.

"I thought that if I said anything it might ruin the friendship I have with Olivier." He looked torn and Winry capitalized on this hesitance.

Oh god, had she sent out something? Had she flirted? Olivier was going to murder her. "Yes, yes it would ruin it."

His shoulders slumped as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "She's impossible, you know? I think she knows I'm keeping something from her."

He stared at Winry and she felt her blood run cold.

"I can't pretend I'm not in love with her anymore."

"You're in love with Olivier?" Winry wondered if she was always this inept at reading men.

"Don't get me wrong, she's terrifying, but in a dangerous I can't stop thinking about her way."

Winry breathed out a sigh of relief before chuckling at the situation. "Why are you telling me this?"

Putting a hand behind the back of his head his grin widened. "Damn it feels good to say it aloud. I want to do something for her after the homecoming game next weekend, will you help me?"

A deep sense of relief and excitement pushed thoughts of Edward further away. Maybe helping her sister would take off the edge. "I think that sounds like a great idea Miles."

It was then that a light flashed up at them and before Winry could figure out who it was she watched Miles flip backwards off the branch.

Landing with a giant "oomph" and a flash of light, Winry realized they had just lost to Rose's team.

Her roommate was the first to laugh as Miles rubbed his bottom, obviously not too thrilled about the whole experience. But Winry was laughing too hard to be mad at losing.

"Very funny." Miles glared until it seemed he caught sight of Olivier, who while not on the ground laughing like the others, was in fact grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Looks like I win Miles." She bragged smartly.

He shared a knowing look with Winry before smiling back at the beautiful Armstrong, "This time."

**(Edward)**

Some people have an uncanny knack for always being right, Edward was beginning to think Hughes embodied this particular trait. Parking his car Ed looked up at the intimidating hospital building. If his last visit taught him anything it was that he missed his little brother and he would keep fighting for him, keep believing in him till the end.

Not even bothering to check in with the front desk he managed to sneak off to his brothers’ room. Opening the door, he felt the grin wiped off his face, the overwhelming horror sinking its teeth into his neck and drawing all the blood from his body. Covering his mouth with his hand even he couldn't hold back the terrible gurgling sound that poured out of him. Stepping back outside the room he stared at the room number, the same one he had looked at days ago. His breath came out in gasps as he struggled to process what he was looking at.

"Sir, are you alright?" A young nurse stared him down over the charts in her hands.

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" He couldn't keep the tremble out of his pitch.

He watched her glance at the room number, "Are you a family member of Mr. Elric?"

"Yes, I'm his brother." He couldn't bring himself to say  _was_.

Her expression softened. "I thought you would be happy for him, this is what we wanted."

"Who the hell would want this?" He asked horrified at her indifference.

"Your father came in right after it happened, you should really be with your family at a time like this." She advised him.

"I have no family." He muttered darkly under his breath. This was it, no more playing pretend with his father. Someone wanted to see him suffer, to watch him slowly restore his faith in his brother and then tear it away.

"He asked for you." She asked, confusion written all over her face.

His jaw went slack. "He asked for me?" He parroted back.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, "His surgery with Dr. Marcoh couldn't have gone any better, they brought your brother out of his coma this morning." She motioned for him to shoo. "Now you have no business clogging up my hallways. Like I said, you should be with your family at a time like this."

Still feeling a little shell shocked he leaned against the wall with his hand. "Where is he?"

"He's on the second floor in recovery-"

He never heard the rest of her statement; Edward was already running full speed down the stairs.

**(Winry)**

She had had some time to cool off and set her head straight, but it was what it was. It was going to be hell. Sitting at their lab table only inches from him was going to feel like hell. A small part of her wondered if he wasn't even going to even bother to show up. Winry thought how nice it must be to play the victim, how good it must feel to constantly blame your problems on the world and wipe your hands of it all. There were things she regretted, choices she knew had hurt others but she never once pawned them off as anything but her problem. Leaving Gran behind in Resembool and choosing to go to college instead of working at home. Her grandmother was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, but that didn't mean Winry didn't worry for her.

Sitting down on the tall stool she pulled out her lecture notes and began to set up for the experiment they were supposed to be performing for the day. Give her biology, physics, earth science…anything but chemistry. If Ed didn't show up, she wasn't so confident she could continue to pull top marks.

Feeling dejected she sank her head into the cup of her hand, leaning her elbow on the counter-top.

"Winry?"

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up for a second. Sitting up straighter she looked up to find the young man from her Xingese History course staring at her. Not who she was expecting. His smile grew larger as he stole the seat next to her.

"I told you I was in your chemistry class." Zolf continued as if she had answered him. "Missing your lab partner today?"

It felt like the world had switched to slow motion as she looked around for Ed. "Looks that way." She replied in a flat voice. But it wasn't today she was worried about it was the time after that and the time after that.

"Lucky for you my lab partner isn't here either. Care if I join you?" He asked sweetly.

The lab was the last thing on her mind, but she couldn't say no when he was being nice. She should be thankful that she didn't have to do the work alone. Though after some time working with him on the lab she was beginning to think differently.

It was a disaster to say the least; her unfocused mind had set them back several steps until they were the only ones left in the room. He must have patience of a god because she was failing. Winry couldn't help the growl that came from between her rows of clenched teeth as their tenth try fizzled and bubbled out the tube. "Bet you regret picking me as your lab partner." She muttered self-deprecating.

"No." He replied quickly a smile still looking rather foreign to his face. "It wasn't a complete waste. What do you say we ditch this lab and grab some lunch?"

A tiny part at her did shrink away from the offer, but he had helped her out. Overall, he seemed like a nice guy and he was offering to take her to lunch, how bad could it be? A nagging feeling of guilt set over her but she shook it off. She wasn't dating anyone; there was no reason why she couldn't go out for a nice lunch with a nice guy. It all made sense in her head, but for whatever reason her heart didn't feel quite as sure.

**(Rose)**

Rose talked animatedly with one of Winry's sisters she had met while playing FT the other night as they walked out of their English course.

"I can't believe we never talked before." Rebecca announced as if even the idea of it was ludicrous.

Rose was beginning to think she might have had a very different Greek experience had she joined Kappa Delta. "Thank god you are in this class with me, I was afraid I was going to have to do that project with Chelsea."

Rebecca made a face similar to her own, "That girl couldn't tell Drachma from Aerugo."

She was so lost in their conversation that Rose

 missed the staring eyes following her as they walked and the countless pieces of paper that were being blown around the ground. Rose didn't see them until Rebecca dropped down to the ground to pick one up. The black and white flyer chilled her to the bone, her heart stopping on sight.

"Rose? What is this?" Rebecca looked stunned as she picked up the piece of paper.

Hands shaking Rose stared at the dozens of pieces of paper, each of them branded with humiliation. Before the tears began to blur her vision, she stared at the photocopy and recognized not only the incriminating position she was in, but the man she was in it with. He was pointing at whoever had taken the picture, his grin telling her everything she needed to know.

Crumpling up the flier she felt the tears stream down her face, "I've got to go." She mumbled before she streaked across the courtyard as fast as her legs would take her. There was no doubt who was behind the terrible photo and of course who had ruthlessly labeled it with the word  _whore_.

The room was empty, Winry must have stayed late in her lab. Feeling the embarrassment and shame slowly melt away to anger she dialed a familiar number on her phone.

"Babe." He answered almost cheerfully.

Rose decided it was time to kill it once and for all. "Whatever we had, whatever it was, it's over now."

**(Leto)**

She licked at his navel, her nose wrinkling up. "Your skin tastes salty." She mused before pulling out a package from her pants pocket.

He wanted to laugh, she came prepared, did she? He shoved away her hand, "Never used a condom in my life sweetheart."

Looking perplexed the younger girl flipped her hair over her shoulder, the blush still staining her cheeks. "I'm not getting knocked up for a one-night stand!" Her speech wasn't slurred but he could still smell the alcohol on her breath. The whole scenario was irritating.

"Either we do it now or you can get your ass the hell out of my room." He commented shrewdly.

Looking offended she threw him what he could imagine was a loathsome stare. He watched her pull her shirt back on and stomp her way out of his room before slamming his door behind her. It didn't bother him to see her go; maybe Rose's call had affected him more than he thought. Whatever, he had to get up early in the morning for his appointment anyways. It would be an early night for him, but as he laid his head down, he found it hard to sleep.

He didn't need the alarm to wake him up; a coughing fit pulled him out of his sleep well beforehand. "Perfect."

Pulling on sweats he didn't bother checking his reflection. Not much reason to get ready when it was just a routine treatment day at the hospital. Afterwards he figured he should work on getting one of his brothers to bungee jump off the Gateway Bridge. The adrenaline rush was always a good band aid for thinking about the future. As for Rose he was confident they would meet again.

Walking the second floor he searched for the cute nurse that usually manned the front desk. A little shameless flirting might put him into a good mood, though the nurses here were not always his favorite. He was about to give up on her when he heard her voice come out of a close room. Maybe he could just peek in?

The sight inside the room brought him up short, he recognized that guy.  _No freaking way_. "Van Hohenheim!" He called through the open door. "My favorite chapter adviser!"

The older man peered at him over his glasses before rising to meet him. No wonder he knew that face, this guy had been his fraternity's adviser for the past couple of years. As president he had often had to try and weasel his way out of problems with the university. Having alum like Van Hohenheim was an incredible advantage.

Covering his mouth, he couldn't hold back the seizure of coughs that constricted him for a moment nor did he miss the looks on everyone's face, all except the patient in the room. He knew the nurse knew and perhaps Van did too, but at least the boy in the bed didn't seem to share their pathetic empathy.

Sensing the topic of conversation would have to be forced he felt the need to point out the spectator. "That your son?"

Smiling Hohenheim nodded his head, a tender look casting his face in very different light.

"What's your poison? “He directed comically towards the kid.

His voice sounded like it hadn't been used in a while. "Dr. Marcoh finally brought me out of a coma." He proclaimed proudly through chapped lips.

Not at all abashed Leto looked him over, "You look like shit, but eating this hospital food will do that to you. Might want to start ordering in."

The nurse clicked her tongue in reprimand. "Now Leto don't you go corrupting my patient."

"Yeah right." He smirked at the younger boy, "Don't let her fool you, she once brought me food from Alexander's down the street!"

The nurse blushed heavily looking beaten for the moment. "Shouldn't you be checking in with Dr. Marcoh?"

"Alright I'm going, I'm going."

"Wait, Leto." Hohenheim stopped him from leaving. "How's Ed holding up?"

Ed? "Ed who?"

"My son," He amended, "My older son, I was told he joined Greek Life."

"Uh…"Leto tried to think of what his pledges names had been, usually he just numbered them, made it easier to keep track.

Laughing loudly Van patted him on the back, "I'm not going to get you in trouble; I know how hell week works. I just want to know how he likes it so far."

Something told him Van's son wasn't very honest with his father because he knew for a fact none of his pledges looked remotely like the guy. "As far as I know we don't have any pledges named Ed." Then it hit him, there was a golden-haired guy who looked remarkably like Hohenheim. "Wait, is your son Edward Elric?"

"Yes."

Of all the damn legacies to miss, how had they let Van's son get taken by BTA? This was not going to look good on his part. "My condolences man, Edward joined Beta Tau Alpha."

**(Miles)**

There are people that you meet in life that he would call magnetic. The sort of people that attract those around them without even trying. It shouldn't have surprised him that he might one day find Olivier to be his complete undoing. They had met before the start of their freshman year at Central University after they had been recruited to play football. He remembered how the others had snickered behind her back, placing bets on how long she'd last in a league that had only one female player…her. It was probably this initial sense of being outcasts that brought them together. She fought the stigma of her gender and he his race. The war with Ishval was long over, but where there is ignorance, hate certainly isn't far behind.

He grinned as he followed in her wake, the smooth and steady pace of their run accelerating as they neared the end. Four years they had been teammates and good friends. He liked to think they had a good thing going between them.

Once they finally hit their street he watched as she slowed her step and began to cool down. Breathing heavily, he finally caught up to her, pulling his shirt up to wipe away the sweat.

"You must really enjoy looking at my backside." She remarked calmly as she stretched slowly.

It was hard to not notice and fully appreciate that backside. No one could deny she had one hell of a body. "Are you implying something or are you just trying to insult my athleticism?" He challenged.

It was rare but he caught the silent laughter in her eyes as she smiled at him. They continued to walk down the infamous Greek row, the street with every fraternity and sorority house. It had come as a shock to him that Olivier had joined a sorority, but after finding about her great, great, grandmother’s hand in founding the chapter he understood the importance it held in her life. In fact, she had been the one to convince him to join a fraternity.

"How's Alpha Chi holding up?" She asked plainly as if it was just business, but he knew her better than that. She did actually care about things; she just didn't like to show it.

Most of the football players had joined AX* including himself and Buccaneer. They usually dominated the world of Greek intramural sports, except for soccer. Somehow the small footwork needed was not something some of the bigger guys in his fraternity could get used to, especially when tackling was not allowed.

He thought about it for a moment, "Eh you know how it is. the guys are getting restless until football season is over."

Even though most of the football team was in the fraternity, a good number of the men weren't and they didn't appreciate the no party rule until the season was over.

Olivier narrowed her eyes shrewdly, "You are the president of Alpha Chi Miles, don't let them forget it."

"Sometimes I don't think I'm really cut out to be a leader." He knew without a shadow of a doubt she would have his brothers whipped into shape without much difficulty. Shrugging his shoulders, he looked over his shoulder at her, wondering if this comfortable friendship between them was strong enough to be tested.

"We should get some sleep; the big game is this weekend and I want to get in a full day of training tomorrow." Standing up she looked like she was going to part ways as they always did when suddenly she stopped. Turning around she took the time to offer him a wink. "For what it's worth I think you're a great president."

Part of him wondered if this confidence booster was the truth or if she was intentionally trying to build him up for the sake of winning the Homecoming game. Well, whatever her intentions he still had a goofy grin on his face as he walked back to his fraternity house. Perhaps in the euphoria of a victory he might actually find the courage to let her know exactly why he didn't mind running behind her. With a little help from her little sister he was going to finally make his move.

**(Edward)**

To say he was a little disappointed wouldn't be entirely fair, but after three years of waiting you could hardly blame him for being frustrated that his brother was asleep when he finally found him. Walking into the small room he sat on the window ledge, watching people come and go out to the back-parking lot.

"Brother?"

His eyes widened, the relief stretching to every part of his body as he slowly came back to life. "Al." He answered as if just his name could bring back years’ worth of lost time. "How do you feel?" It was probably a stupid question to ask someone who hadn't felt anything for three years, but it was better than what he really wanted to ask.

"Stiff, old." He spouted off, a large grin on his face.

"You are old." He joked though he wasn't really in the mood. "Did dad bring you up to speed on life as we know it?"

"I know about mom." His eyes looked red and Edward knew he had cried and would probably still cry some more.

"Yeah." His throat felt tight enough that he couldn't say anything more.

"S'not your fault Ed." 

That was being generous and he didn't deserve it. "We both know that's a lie Al."

Shaking his head Al used his bony arm to wave a bit as if to clear the air. "I don't wanna talk about that."

Edward stood there stupidly and wondered what the hell they could talk about.

"Dad told me that you fought for me."

Ed took a deep breath, trying to find the words to describe how backwards this conversation felt. He corrected his brother. "You fought for me first."

A nurse came in at that point, looked at different machines, and made a few notes before smiling at his younger brother. "Well Alphonse all things considered you are doing wonderful. I'll be back in a few hours to check up on you." She looked over her shoulder, her gaze falling onto Edward who had tried to slink into the background. "And if I am correct, visiting hours are over in a few minutes."

Ed opened his mouth in rebuttal but she held up her hand to silence him. "Don't worry I talked with Nurse Taylor and according to her I should be taking a coffee break soon so I shouldn't be back to escort you out." Sending him a meaningful wink she exited the room. 

Alphonse let out a slow whistle, a shit eating grin on his face. "Never thought you'd be good with the ladies."

Ed nearly choked on his own saliva, "What?"

Al smiled and then grimaced, "I'm kidding, but there is something different about you."

Edward knew his brother was probably referring to his automail or maturity but he decided he didn't want to comment on either. "I'm an adult now." 

Al let his head drop back against the pillow, exhaustion beginning to edge its way onto his features. "No... there’s-" His eyes began to droop.

"For sleeping so long you sure do look tired Al. I should probably let you sleep."

His younger brother looked so sad and weak staring up at him from his emaciated body. It was hard not to stare even though he knew his brother probably felt the same about his new metal appendages.

"Will you come back to see me?"

Edward knew he wouldn't be going home, he would wait until his brother woke again. "Yeah, I'll be right here."

Sinking down into the chair across the room from his brother’s bed he tapped his metal fingers against his leg restlessly. Things could be worse, _they could always be worse._  Right now, his brother was awake and he wanted a moment to appreciate the gravity of it all. To allow this moment the space it deserved. Then he was back to feeling guilty and his idle hands began to wander. His finger touched her name and then he was dialing her number while his right leg began to bounce.  _Right to voicemail_. Either her phone was turned off or she was ignoring him. "Hey Win, its Ed." Damn that sounded lame. "I know you don't want to speak to me, but I wish you would."

In the morning he woke cramped from the unrelenting armchair and cranky from hunger.

"I ordered you some food." His brothers voice still sounded rough, like sandpaper dragging across the surface.

Edward looked over at the tray of hospital food and instantly frowned, a growl building in his throat. "Gee thanks."

Alphonse began to laugh at the three cartons of milk sitting on the tray. "It’s nice."

"Nice? How is utter juice  _nice_?"

"No." Al's laughter faded out. "It’s nice that some things don't change."

"Yeah and you're lucky I know the delivery number for some Xingese food so we don't die of starvation."

The nurse fussed over Edward trying to feed his brother takeout food but finally let it go. It was becoming clear he was not the reason the nurses were so friendly, it was Alphonse. The kid had them wrapped around his finger. Ed wasn't about to complain and was even grateful for the nurse that took his tray of obscene milk from the room. Once they had finished stuffing their faces the room feel into an easy silence.

"Ed." Al asked, the nervous expression on his face reminded him that for Alphonse the nightmare that had put him there probably only seemed like yesterday. "Are you happy?"

"Now that you're back with us? Of course I'm happier." 

"But?" Al prompted.

"Let’s not talk about my problems, let’s talk about what you want to do once we get you back on your feet."

Alphonse wasn't budging. "Who is Winry?"

Edward blanched looking around as if he might see the blonde-haired mechanic lurking in a corner. "Just my mechanic."

"For your arm and leg?" Alphonse asked, his voice low.

"Yeah but she’s a pain in the ass, charges me full price too."

"Brother I'm so sorry."

Ed frowned, "What for?"

"If it wasn't for me making mom drive you, we should have just called for help..."

Edward liked to think that every now and then he could be generous. So instead of letting his brother stew in undeserved guilt he pulled out his phone reluctantly finding the picture he wanted to show his brother. "Not so bad Al I even have a pretty mechanic."

Al raised his eyebrows, "You have a girlfriend?"

Oh, he was going to be sick all right. The word vomit came pouring out before he could stop and think of the ramifications of his words. "I wish."

That seemed to mollify his brother so Ed thought maybe a few other details might not hurt even as his face burned. "Winry loves automail so I already have about a 50% chance that she likes me. Without this arm and leg, I would have 0%, besides I can do a lot of cool stuff with this arm and leg."

"Can I meet her?" Al asked excitedly and Ed was reminded that his brother didn't know his capacity to be an asshole. His brother didn't know he had just taken a giant shit on anyone and everyone who had tried to care about him.

Sighing he slouched down onto the side of the bed, making sure not to crush his brother. "I don't think she wants to talk to me right now."

"What did you do to make her mad at you?"

Feeling indignant he crossed his arms and glared at Al, "What makes you think it was me that did anything?"

Al raised an eyebrow and Ed knew he had a good point. "She overheard me telling someone that all she was to me was a mechanic."

"Is that what she is to you?"

"No." He admitted.

"Have you told her this?" He pointed out realistically.

Edward was fully aware how uncomplicated the situation could be if he was just honest. Then again, his brother was back and he was grateful. He patted his brother gently on the shoulder as he stood up. "There’s a lot we need to catch up on, but we need you to focus on getting better first."

"And you should go talk to Winry." Al insisted.

Edward rolled his eyes. "Did all that sleep make you an expert on relationships?"

"No, but you've never mentioned liking a girl like that before. Will you at least bring her here to see me?"

Winry probably wanted him dead, but he wanted to make things right. "Yeah-yeah, I'll see ya round brother."

He would make good on his word not just for Al's sake, or for the circumstance that held his membership to BTA but for the girl who had brought him back to life just as his brother had.

 

* _A/N: in the Greek alphabet X is pronounced chi_


	11. Homecoming

**(Winry)**

She refused to submit to this kind of underhanded trickery. That and Winry had a sneaking suspicion that there were far more culprits in this operation than the one standing outside Tony's Garage. Winry felt betrayed that her coworkers seemed to have joined the bandwagon. In fact, the whole situation was a set up and she was not going to fall for it.

"Hey Rockbell, he says he won't leave until you talk to him." Sam chuckled as he leaned against the hood of the car.

Winry slid out from under it, tools still in hand as she looked up at him. Her coworker Sam was intimidating with his tattooed arms and deep voice, but Winry wasn't easily frightened. Sam was actually laid back and a bit of a push over if Winry was being honest. Today however Sam was just an annoying little brat. He might have to learn that her wrench could do things besides fix something. "Do me a favor then, tell him if he's waiting for me, he's going to be waiting a hell of a long time."

"Aw come on Rocky, can't you give a guy a break?" Sam whined, his facial expression betraying the menacing details inked on his arm and the ring piercing his lip.

"Whose side are you on?" She asked in disbelief.

Smirking he put his foot on the roller to keep her from going back to work, "I know a broken man when I see one, and this guy, whatever he did, he's sorry."

"You're not going to leave me alone are you?" She asked in exasperation, her plan of getting to the Alderson’s rusted axle squished.

"Go talk to him." He countered.

Irritated, she dropped her tools and threw her gloves on the ground. "Sam, one day I am going to get you back for this."

"Yeah." He muttered, "Or maybe you'll thank me."

A part of her hoped he had given up; three hours was an awfully long time to wait. Shrugging out of the sleeves of her jumpsuit she tied the arms around her waist, forgetting for a moment how little she was wearing below it. Pushing the bandana off her head she balled it into her hand and crossed her arms, ready to fight whatever idiotic retort he had for her.

**(Edward)**

Prior to the three hours he had been waiting for her, he had thought long and hard about exactly what he was going to say. In fact, he had rehearsed the conversation so many times in his mind he was almost convinced he had it down to a science. Then she walked out and knocked any kind of coherent thought from his brain. Winry, for all that was good and holy in this world, could not look any deadlier. When she pulled the bandana off her head as she walked, he had to remind himself to breath. Hell, was that a tube top? In the bright sun he watched as a line of black oil ran off a strand of her hair to trail down her chest through the valley of her cleavage.

"Well, are you just going to stand there?" Her voice was harsh and he noticed she had a rather large tool sticking out of her back pocket.

"Winry…I uh" He cleared his throat, embarrassed by the boyish stutter. "My brother's awake."

Apologize on his hands and knees; beg mercifully for her to forgive him…that had been his first plan. He half expected her to walk away and he wouldn’t have blamed her it was a low blow to use his brother as a bargaining chip.

But it looked like this simple phrase had taken the wind out of her sails. The lines across her forehead smoothed out and she exhaled. "He's okay?"

His throat tightened as he watched the look of relief on her face. Winry was a kind woman and those stores of kindness had no business being reserved for him, but he grasped at them anyways. "Yeah, he's going to be okay."

As if she had come back to her senses, her expression steeled once again. "Does this mean you're going to stop acting like an asshole?"

Edward wasn't sure what to say so he just stared because all he wanted to do was kiss that irritated look right off her smug face.

"Well I'm glad your brothers okay and I'm happy to be of service to you." She recited plainly. "If your car breaks down again." She gestured towards the garage behind her, "You can always find me here.”

There was a pause and he knew she was granting him some kind of reprieve, but then it was gone.

“I've got work to do." She muttered like she too was disappointed.

It felt like he was trying to catch rainwater that just kept slipping through his fingers. "You owe me one day."

Her eyes widened in surprise before they narrowed again, "Owe you?" She repeated incredulously.

"Those passes to the amusement park, they only work if you go with me. Since I carried you to the finish line, you owe me at least one day." It was a long shot and he was grateful she was even standing there, but it was the only shot he had.

Her mouth twitched, "I'm only your mechanic." She said slowly, enunciating each word as her eyes flashed. "Isn’t that what you said?"

It was his opening and if he didn't take it now, he knew he would never be able to salvage their friendship. "You know me better than that," He urged her to stay with him, to believe what he couldn't quite say. "Please, let me make it up to you. Come with me?" He asked her again.

In the short time they had been close, he had seen an expression like this on her more than enough to recognize she was fighting with herself. "I…I've got work to do." She finished halfheartedly.

"I'm taking your shift tomorrow." A guy from the shop announced loudly, peaking his head out the opened shop door.

" _Sam_." Winry replied, her voice a distinct warning.

If he wasn't helping him out, Ed might have been jealous that this guy was also staring at Winry and they were on a first name basis.

"I need the extra cash Rocky. Come on, are you going to let my kids starve?"

"You don't have any kids." She argued back.

His mouth turned up at an odd angle, like he was suppressing a grin. "No, but if I did this shift could mean the difference between life and death. What do you say Rockbell are you going to give me your shift or not?"

She glanced between them. "You  _owe_  me Sam."

Sam laughed loudly before returning to the shop, "Roger that."

"I'll pick you up at 10am?" He suggested as the air stagnated. Lucky for him she chose to wait till after he spoke to put her hands on her hips. Her bust was now in full view and he wasn’t sure he could open his mouth without it dropping to the floor.

"10am?" She repeated.

He nodded his head, refraining from opening up the devil’s nest of forbidden ideas spewing out of his brain.

"Fine."

And just like that she turned and went back to work leaving Ed standing in the parking lot grinning like an idiot.

**(Leto)**

"Every last one." He barked unpleasantly, his fists clenched at his sides. He suppressed the wave of coughs that threatened to take him under. The doctors warning was useless to him, he would be damned if he was going to pussy foot around for the rest of life.

Sending a fiery stare at his pledges he scrunched up the flier at his feet. “I want any posts or reposts of this shit gone, you hear me?”

Social media was one thing, posting printed pictures all over campus was another. Traditionally a picture like that might not have upset him but he was thinking about how it all looked. He wasn’t a predator and he she was a willing participant.

Yoki, who had taken the picture in the first place, looked distraught. Leto rounded on him as soon as the guy had the guts to approach him.

"Hey man." Yoki greeted him nervously.

Pressing his lips together he narrowed his eyes. "I want a name." He answered coolly.

"You're not going to like it." He answered softly.

Leto usually liked the guy; he was spontaneous and had a desire for the crazier things in life, one night out with Yoki made you feel like you were invincible. "And you're not going to like cleaning all the bathrooms for a year. Totem's a bitch."

Yoki grit his teeth together looking torn and remaining silent.

Leto liked to think he could read his brother’s better than that. "Just tell me. Was it Noa?"

"Are you still going to make me clean the bathrooms for a year?"

Totem in a fraternity was a strange, but powerful thing. Seniority in the fraternity coupled with the level of position you held determined just who could pull rank or totem over another. Right now, with his super senior status and his position as president, he was untouchable.

"Not if you tell me who it was." He replied curtly, not in the mood for guessing games.

"Dude I had no idea-" He began but faltered when he saw the look on his brother's face. "Noa said she just needed to use my phone for a second. The next thing I know the picture I took is on posters all around school. I swear I didn't do this man, I don't even know that chick!"

Leto patted his brother on the shoulder, no use beating on someone for being stupid. "I know, now go help the pledges clean this shit up."

Yoki looked a little relieved to be off the chopping block, but he still eyed the task with distaste. "You drive a hard bargain brother, but I can't wait to totem someone like you do." He looked at the nearest pledge. "Hey you, you're good at math, aren't you?"

The pledge looked like he had a found a compliment in there somewhere because he smiled, "Yeah I'm pretty good at Math."

Yoki grinned at Leto letting him know there were no hard feelings in any of this. "Good because if I'm stuck out here picking up shit someone's got to do my Calc project."

**(Rose)**

Rose braced herself as she went to walk out of the dorm towards the science building where her psychology class was held. The last time she had attempted to cross the gap she had been bombarded with the image of herself and the proud exclamation and damnation in the form of the word  _whore_. Not even one full semester into college and already she had been humiliated in a million different ways. The worst part about the situation was the feeling of abandonment and self-inflicted shame. With her sorority sisters obviously plotting against her she had been relying on her roommate. It was strange to think that in the beginning she had been the one to pity the sweet little country girl who seemed too dull to fully appreciate college and all its protentional. Now she knew better, or at least she acknowledged that Winry was neither dull nor foolish. Still, she wasn't sure she wanted Winry to see the whole picture of what she had done, probably because she knew a part of her would break if her roommate said what she was fighting to ignore…that she maybe she deserved it. She didn't need anyone else's help to know she had brought a lot of this on herself.

Seeing the trash posts online was one thing, having to walk through them was another. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled and prepared herself for the vicious scene before her; waiting for the bombardment of humiliation to wash over her once again.

That was when she saw him waiting outside her dorm, a single flower in his hand and for a second, she thought maybe she was dreaming.

"Rose." He called to her, the flower in his hand spinning as he twisted it in his grip.

Scanning the courtyard her mouth dropped open, there wasn't a single flier up. When she got close enough, he handed her the flower, a lopsided smirk resting on his lips.

"A rose, for a Rose."

Accepting the flower, she still narrowed her eyes. "How original." Looking around she gestured with her hands. "Did you, did you do all this?"

"I had my pledges tear down every last one."

She had been warned about men like him, men that pulled the strings of girls like puppets. Making them dance one minute and dropping them lifelessly to the ground the next. But they don't tell you how it feels to dance. They never explain that the highs of a relationship like this are all consuming, just like his arms that snaked around her, lips that pressed against hers. You don't have a choice on whether to fight off that kind of feeling, you just feel it.

"It's not going to stop is it?"

Leto didn't look like he wanted to keep talking. "What's not going to stop?"

"Noa and all the Alpha Zeta's; they are going to continue to find ways to humiliate me, aren't they?" 

"They're just a bunch of girls, don't sweat it. You got me, don't you?"

It still didn't make sense why he would go to such lengths to please her but he sounded so confident, she almost believed it.  "Why? Why are you trying so hard to make me like you?"

Leaning forward he was so close their noses touched, a kind of dominance and force that made her feel weak in the knees.

"Does that answer your question?" He said huskily, his hot breath still touching her face.

"I don't know. " She replied slowly, "Kiss me again."

**(Riza)**

Riza watched as Olivier stretched out in the living room, no one had heard a peep out of her since Thursday and with the big game on Saturday morning Riza wasn't surprised. To say that Central's greatest rival was Rush Valley University was drastically understating things. The two had been in competition since they had been established. Rush Valley was an engineering school that rivaled even the tech schools of the north while Central was a little more on the prestigious side, inviting in students with a vast array of majors. For almost six years RVU had been dominating the world of college football, but then again college football had yet to see the team Central had put together. Top heavy with seniors dying to make their last play, Olivier along with teammates Miles and Buccaneer, held the best records in the league.

Things had been pretty crazy at the house, girls had been in and out all-day making banners and coming to wish Olivier good luck. Currently she was helping Rebecca plan for homecoming on Saturday including tailgating as well as the shirt competition. The competition between sororities for the best homecoming shirts was something they were taking very seriously this year, in part because they didn't want to let Olivier down. This year they had ordered low V-neck fitted T-shirts in royal blue. The front said 'Central Homecoming' and the back would have bold printed words stating 'in KD we Believe' with Olivier's jersey number underneath.

Decorating and designing were two things she couldn't really be bothered with, but she knew Gracia would be there and that was reason enough. Her friend had not spoken to her in two days, which felt like a lifetime. With the influx of sisters into the house it made it all that much harder to get her alone so that they could talk. She remembered the conversation in the bathroom and how devastatingly heartbroken she had looked upon catching sight of the lavaliere around her neck. It wasn't jealousy, she knew Gracia better than that. In hindsight she should have just told her because now it was a complete betrayal. In her euphoria of being asked she had forgotten the secret she had been withholding. She had never once indicated any hint of a relationship and Roy was Hughes best friend. It was all sort of messy and she wished there was a better way to explain it all.

Kappa Delta was a different kind of sorority, they were probably the only one in which its members could say with all honesty that they were close. It was their strongest trait and it allowed the entire chapter to figure out very quickly that something was up. Gracia was normally a ray of sunshine, on even the worst of days, so seeing her look so down and depressed threw everyone off. There were already rumors that Hughes had done or said something to her.

Riza looked up, walking through the front doors struggling with a large box was just the person she was looking for. Practically sprinting over, Riza helped her carry the box into the living room.

"Thanks." Gracia mumbled.

Riza felt her stomach drop; Gracia looked like she hadn't gotten sleep in a few days. "Gracia-"She started hesitantly not sure how to begin, "I was going to tell you."

"Were you?" Gracia asked doubtfully, the hurt etched into her face. "You know, I have always been rooting for you two and not once did you see it fit to tell me about this. Don't best friends tell each other everything?" She shook her head looking impossibly sad, "How could you not have said anything?"

Riza glanced around the room aware of prying eyes. "You know what my father did to me." She replied weakly, "If he had found out about Roy and I, he could have ruined Roy's entire career."

Everyone had fallen silent, even Olivier was on her feet, eyes flashing. She could feel the weight of all the eyes on her.

"What are you talking about?" Olivier asked her eyes narrowed.

Great, so not everyone knew then. Like ripping off a scab before its healed. "Roy lavaliered me."

There was a collective gasp from the girls, a few mouths gaping open while others smirked as if they had known it all along. The worst looks came from Rebecca, Olivier and Gracia because there could be no doubt how much she had hurt them.

"How long have you been with him?" Olivier asked testily, her fist clenching as if she wanted to punch something.

Maybe Olivier could knock her out so she could escape all the stares. "Since the summer."

Making a face Olivier muttered something under her breath before simply shrugging her shoulders. "Can't say I didn't see this coming." Her fist clenched again, "But if that womanizing little prick so much as looks at another girl, I'm going to take him down."

When her sisters finally calmed back down, she knew there was one person who had slipped out the back door. Carefully excusing herself, Riza followed through the sliding glass door onto the back deck where Gracia was standing. "I'm so sorry."

Riza felt ashamed of herself as she watched Gracia quickly rub away the wet trails down her face.

Looking defeated she finally smiled up at her, "I'm not mad at you." Her voice quivered, "I just wish you felt like you could have told me. You need to work on being a better friend if you are going to be my maid of honor."

Riza understood the level of forgiveness that was being extended but was brought up short. "Your maid of honor?"

Gracia sniffed, brushing away the tears that had fallen. "Maybe you should work on your hearing too." She joked back before laughing through her tears. "I want you to be my maid of honor Riza. I want my best friend, my sister, to be the person beside me on the most important day of my life."

"You won't make me wear a hideous dress, will you?" Riza asked, still in a sort of shock.  

Gracia gave a watery chuckle, "It would be a good pay back for not telling me about you and Roy but no, we'll find something perfect." With a timid smile Gracia straightened up pointing an accusing finger in Riza's direction. "Now that you and Roy are together you do realize that Maes is going to say I told you so? I guarantee he's going to bug you two to a set wedding date, he loves playing cupid."

Marriage? Definitely not in the near future, that was for sure. Being lavaliered hinted at that particular option, but she was confident that neither of them were prepared for that kind of giant step. Gracia and Maes were different. They were a year older, four years into their relationship, and about to graduate. Marriage was the natural next step for them.

"I don't think we need to worry about marriage for a  _long_  time."

"What do you say? Will you be my Maid of Honor?" Gracia asked her.

She didn't need any time to think it over. "I would be honored to be in your wedding."

This might have been the last thing she expected, but seeing her friend smile again was a huge relief. She was going to do whatever it took to make sure Gracia had the most perfect wedding a girl could ask for because she more than deserved it.

**(Edward)**

With the homecoming game on Saturday and their lab cancelled for Friday, Ed couldn't have asked for a better start to his weekend. That and today was his date with Winry to the amusement park.  _Was it date though?_  That last part was probably debatable.

The drive wasn't too bad, though he couldn't help but sneak glances at the sleeping girl next to him. She looked like she had been up late; a few drops of blue paint were still visible on her arm. He knew she had been working with her sisters on banners for the homecoming game late the night before. The signs were hanging out to dry in front of the Kappa Delta house as they drove by. It felt weird, by now he assumed he knew her like the back of his hand, but it was times like these that he couldn't help but wonder about who she was. He had never met anyone quite like her. She fixed things and she had a way of making everything turn out better than it had before. No wonder her sisters adored her, she was incredible. Despite the trickle of drool as she slept, he still thought she was cute.

They arrived early and Winry's face was priceless. Her eyes were wide and shinning as she looked at the metal beast of a structure in front of them.

"Look at it!" She squealed in awe, "This is what engineering dreams are made of!" She exclaimed as the gears and levers worked together to pull the car up the steep incline.

Ed didn't comment; his stomach had dropped to the floor. He had never been on a roller coaster before, but suddenly the idea didn't seem so brilliant anymore.

A muffled giggle startled him out of his fear induced coma. Reeling he would have given anything to see this laughing version of Winry a few days ago but now as she laughed at his obvious newfound phobia, he wasn't so amused.

"Ed, are you scared of roller coasters?" She asked snidely.

"Nah." He lied; the sweat dropping as he said it.

A mischievous look in her eye reminded him that she was a stubborn girl, a stubborn girl who was cute enough to get what she wanted. He let her drag him towards the ride, ignoring the rolling of his stomach in exchange for the warmth he felt as she pulled his hand. If they lived through this maybe he would try and ask her out for real.

Winry sat on the railing as they waited in line, her head tipped back in the sunlight. It would have been a nice sight if he hadn't caught sight of a set of matching grins from a group of guys who looked at the way her chest stuck out a little more, her neck exposed as her closed eyes stared unseeing up to the sky. When one of the guys looked like he was about to make contact with her he threw caution to the wind. Putting his arm around her waist he picked her up off the railing and pulled her to his side.

"Ed?" she asked though a bewildered smile.

Clearing his throat, he let her waist go. "The lines moving up."

Winry eyed the stagnate line. It looked like she was going to point out the obvious but with a small smile she pretended not to notice. Although he had let her go, she stayed by his side and his wasn't the first or last time she did it either.

Ten coasters later he was convinced that he would never, EVER come back to a theme park. Whoever thought it would be fun to ride with a tiny strap at over 80 miles an hour while they dropped and flipped you upside down was crazy. He decided that Winry was definitely one of those crazy people.

"Ow, ow, ow." Winry rubbed her temple as she put her ice cream down.

How the mighty had fallen! Laughing in amusement he leaned forward to wipe the spot of ice cream off her cheek. "Brain freeze?"

Her mouth formed a tiny, pouting frown. "It hurts."

And then her face started to redden. For having a brain freeze her cheeks were pretty red. That was when he realized that while his thumb had rubbed across her cheek to catch the spot of ice cream; his hand remained long after the spot was gone.

His own ice cream lay discarded on the bench next to him just as Winry laid hers down. She leaned in closer to him her face continuing to burn almost as bad as his own. Her head tilted and he knew what would follow. Closing his eyes, he waited but all he felt was the gentle touch of fingertips to his chin. Reluctantly he opened his eyes again.

"Ice cream, on your chin." She admitted making a face as she wiped the residue on his shirt sleeve.

A little embarrassed by the thoughts that were coursing through his head he sat back. He wasn't sure what made him do it, but smearing ice cream all over her face had just seemed like a good idea at the time. Maybe it was also a little payback for making him ride all those rides and then teasing him with an almost kiss. "You got a little something on your face."

Either she was going to beat him to death or she might just beat him to an inch of his life. Sometimes his ideas were not entirely well thought out.

Her mouth opened in shock and then he was staring into determined eyes. "Now you’ve done it."

Laughing they both ended up having to survive the stares as they walked back up to the convenient store stand, covered in ice cream, to get some napkins.

As the park began to close Ed was grateful for the massive crowd that bucked and pushed them around. On any other day he would have been pissed and pushed back, but not today. Today Winry was holding onto his arm, the crowd pinning her to his side. It would be easy to fall for this girl.

**(Hughes)**

Hughes hauled the cooler out of his truck, walking towards the large tent his fraternity brothers had set up for tailgating. There was no beating around the bush; with at least two cases of beer inside he was planning on getting wasted for the day. He had never been a heavy drinker nor did he enjoy parties all that much, but on a day that rivaled St. Patrick's he just couldn't ignore the call. They would start off the day by drinking in the east parking lot that stood outside Centrals football field, following this they would smuggle in any leftover beer into the game itself. Closing out the day would be the annual Homecoming party at the BTA house where not only the brothers and their friends would party it up but alumni often returned to join the festivities. Hughes was looking forward to seeing some of the older guys come back and even more excited to finally let loose for a day.

Edward could count on Breda to have the grill already set up while Roy was reclined in a lawn chair, a beer opened in his hand. If it weren't for the large speakers, he wouldn't have spotted Fury behind his DJ table, the guy was a wiz with technology and his library of music could rival anyone. Havoc was nearby, decked out in full Central gear, the school’s flag with a majestic lion tied around his neck like a cape. He didn't think it was possible but standing as if he were a Grecian statue of a god was Alex Armstrong who seemed to have outdone even Havoc's ensemble. The muscle man had painted his sister's jersey number to his chest in royal blue, the rest of his body painted the schools other color, gold. He felt nostalgic as he grabbed a beer; he was going to really miss his college days.

A few fraternities had set up camp nearby; the largest gathering belonging to Delta Tau. Their alumni base alone was staggering in numbers. A few were laughing at the small gathering they had in comparison but he just smiled and waved, his glasses glinting with a hidden agenda. They obviously didn't recognize the group of about 100 guys just pulling up all wearing BTA letters. As far as numbers go, he knew they had surpassed their rivals for the time being.

He was just cracking open a drink when he saw a familiar golden head join them, a blond girl on his heels. No doubt about it, he had finally come through. With a little bit of pride, he noticed that the kid looked ten times happier and to his credit Winry looked pleased, though he noticed their hands parted as soon as they arrived.

"Finally." He commented loud enough to grab their attention.

Roy perked up instead, his eyes widening before he began to grin wickedly. It was no surprise to him what had been the compromise for letting Ed come back. The deal had been pretty simple, his final task as a pledge was to make good on a promise and finish what he had started. In other words, the brothers had decided to play cupid for a little bit and watching Ed stand there blushing like an idiot was a good enough pay back for now. Winry looked suspicious like she had an idea who had finally made this idiot come back to his senses, but she appeared happy enough.

Someone put their hands over his eyes, "Guess who."

Turning around he stooped quickly to kiss the trickster. "Morning beautiful, need a beer?"

"Such a charmer." Gracia playfully swatted at his head.

Not to brag, but his fiancé was undoubtedly the most beautiful girl on the planet. There was a reason he had made sure to put a rock on her finger, something this good didn't come around every day. "I see you girls brought you're 'A' game." He stared at her shirt.

Over his shoulder he heard Roy whistle low, "I love homecoming."

Maes almost chided his friend for making such a comment when he realized who it was directed to. Taken back, he exchanged a look with his girl. Riza had always been kind of a tomboy but not today. Thank the gods his brother had finally come to his senses. That and it seemed that Riza and Gracia had made up which was marvelous because he hated seeing her upset.

As the crowds began to grow Maes began to lose count of how many beers he had taken down. Neither he nor Gracia drank much, but they had both agreed to let loose this year. It was their senior year and with the stresses of the past week behind them they were ready to have some fun.

Music blared as people swarmed the tent area, food and beer flowing like water. The University had provided recreational activities including a rock-climbing wall and a blow-up obstacle course. Both of these events by themselves would prove to be a good time, but trying to do them after a few drinks was epic.

He couldn't believe how fast the time flew by; all too soon they were filling out of the tailgate area and corralled towards the bleachers. As the band began to strike up the school fight song he stood along with his brothers and the rest of the school cheering as their team ran out. Behind him he could already hear Armstrong's voice going out as he screamed harder and longer than anyone for his dear sister. Across the field he could hear the booing's from the Rush Valley fans. Havoc made a few rude gestures in response as he took another swig of his beer. He was definitely going to miss this.

**(Hohenheim)**

Hohenheim stared at the Beta Tau Alpha tent, his eyes zeroing in on his son. Making up his mind he left the group of alumni that had gathered for the tailgating section of Delta Tau.

"So, it is true."

His son turned so fast the blond at his side let out a small noise of exclamation as he startled her. The wide blue eyes and blond hair was unmistakable, he didn't need his son to introduce this girl. How in the world had these two met up? Well his son probably wouldn't have introduced her anyways so it was a good thing he knew exactly who she was. But the venom in his sons voice still stung.

"What are you doing here old man?"

"Edward." He paused catching sight of the drink in his son's hand. Feeling a little unnerved he thought of the phone call he had received long ago that had almost taken the only family he had left away from him. "This is no time for you to be drinking. You understand you're still underage, the University could expel you for this."

Looking murderous his son stepped towards him, "You're one to talk. Save it for someone who gives a damn."

He had knocked a few back, but he was a grown man. Feeling undermined and aggravated he looked down at his son. "Watch it boy, you're treading on thin ice."

"Edward?" The girl looked confused by their interaction.

Hohenheim found it curious the way his son bristled, but the bite seemed taken from his bark. Hmm, the persuasion of a pretty girl went a long way, he just never figured his oldest son to be the type to let it affect him.

"Let's just go to the game." She pleaded as a group of their peers continued to walk away towards the stadium.

Ed looked at her with such an expression Hohenheim had no doubt that the rumors were true. This was groundbreaking. His son had only ever loved three things, his mother, brother and food. Maybe this would make four.

Downing the rest of his drink Edward deliberately threw the can at his dad's feet ignoring the glare Winry sent him. "Al waking up changes nothing."

It stung, burned, tore and wrecked him to hear it, but he listened anyways. His son was not an easy person to love, but then again neither was he. He had never really understood how to parent the boy, today was no different.

**(Miles)**

The rap music blared loudly over the speakers in the locker room as the team began to suit up. Olivier dressed in the bathroom but while her modesty prevailed, she had no problem walking through the rows of lockers as her male teammates dressed. Over the years they had come to regard her as one of their own, though that didn't stop him from blushing like mad when she caught him putting on his jock strap.

"Come on Miles, suit up. We have a game to win." She winked at him before settling at the center of the room like a queen to her throne.

When at last the room was gathered around in a large circle their coach cut the music, his hands in his pockets as he strode to the middle of the floor beside Olivier.

"A title to win back, a perfect season to defend and a place in history. Every hour of practice, every injury, every sacrifice you have made for this team, make it worth it." He nodded towards Olivier, giving her the floor.

"This is what we do, this is our field, this is our game, and this is our night. Win, that's all there is to it."

Miles had to give it to her; she could say it all in just a few words.

The coach patted her on the back, "Take a knee. Let's bow our heads in prayer…"

Even as he listened to his teammate's prayers, he found his mind wandering to other things. He needed to play perfectly, there was a lot riding on this game. Once the prayer was over, he led them into a riot, the yells and jeers echoing around the room as they banged each other's backs. It was a kind of barbaric ritual but it pumped them up for the game and it was tradition, you never break tradition before a big game.

"Ready?" Olivier asked as they led the team out of the locker room.

He ruffled her hair playfully, ignoring the blazing look she was sending him. "Let's do this."

Putting on their helmets they ran out through the tunnel of cheerleaders and the band towards the familiar green yardage ahead of them.

Considering that Olivier was captain she was always the one to do the coin toss, however she never went alone. Grabbing his hand in one and Buccaneers in the other the three of them walked the fifty-yard line for the coin toss.

"Central wins the coin toss." The ref announced loudly to the happy roar of the crowd. None of his teammates questioned why he didn't let go of Olivier's hand as they walked to the huddle. It was simple and as Olivier dictated their plan of action, he watched their rival team line up but felt no fear. They were no match; with a leader like Olivier they were fearless and a fearless team on the field with their talent was unstoppable.

The first half of the game was one great play after the next. Not only was Olivier's offensive line able to rack up a good 32 points to take the lead against Rush Valley but Buccaneer had ensured their defensive line held them at a measly 7 points.

Halftime came and went; they were all ready to finish the game. It was do or die. Sensing defeat Rush Valley had amped up their defense, holding Olivier's and even pushing it back to their own 30-yard line. Something had knocked the other team into full gear and Central was feeling the aftershock.

Growling under her breath Olivier threw off her helmet and took a knee in the middle of their huddle. "Buccaneer they're killing me out there, where the hell were you?"

Miles looked at the bruises already forming on her arms, they had been hitting hard. It made his blood boil, game or not, no one got to hurt her like that. The score was at a tense point; their rivals had already brought their score up to 26. One more goal and they would take the lead.

They settled on a play and broke the huddle. It started off as a good play, but when one of the front linemen missed his mark Miles watched in horror as Olivier's body was hit so hard, she flew into the air, her body arcing at a strange angle before landing with a dull thud. When she didn't move, he felt his breath catch as he bolted to her side. "OLIVIER!"

Taking a knee by her side he barely had time to look at her face before he was shoved away by the trainer. When he saw her eyes slowly blink open, he grabbed for her hand and bent low enough that she could see he was there. The trainer was trying to ask her a question but her eyes stayed on his. "Miles."

Hearing his name come out sounding so weak made him feel sick but he wasn't the only one feeling sick. A gurgling noise sounded from the back of her throat as they tried to sit her up. Before both he and the trainers understood what was happening, she began to gag. Turning her onto her side they watched as she threw up, her face going paler. Without any special medical knowledge or even the trainer's confirmation, he knew she had a concussion. There was no way she could have taken that hit and expected to just walk it off.

The crowd was dead silent as the star quarterback was taken from the field, only her stubbornness and severe threats allowing her to remain seated on the sidelines as they resumed play. Miles knew he was nowhere near as good of a quarterback as Olivier, but the way she was staring at him steeled his resolve. They had a score to settle, he was going to make sure they beat Rush Valley. He was going to finish what the lovely Armstrong had started, he was going to win it.


	12. Endgame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens after the clock runs out? When the game is finished and the fans leave the stands...

**(Noa)**

"Well this is  _quaint_." Isabelle remarked rather callously.

Isabelle was a field consultant sent up from Alpha Zeta nationals to inspect her chapter. Noa seethed, her pride had already taken a beating that day. Arms folded across her chest she tried to stifle her retort. This wasn't going as well as she had imagined and she wasn't so sure how far her patience would stretch.

The field consultant pointed to her bags which had been carried in by a relieved looking taxi driver. "You can put these in my room."

It was hard to not be distracted by the squealing of tires as he peeled out of their driveway. That certainly didn’t bode well for her. The petite, strawberry blonde placed her hands on her hips, face puckered in distaste.

"Did you lose some members or is this place always so dull?"

Isabelle hailed from an Alpha Zeta chapter down south at an Aerugo University. Down south a sorority wasn't an organization or even a choice; sorority was a way of life. To be in a sorority down south you had to be born into it. Noa knew she should have brushed up on her Alpha Zeta knowledge because by the way Isabelle was staring at her she was in for it. The real question was who was Isabelle. Was she a strict voice from Nationals or a real AZ with the deep-rooted desire to be the life of the party?

"It's central's homecoming today, the girls are out." Said Noa smartly.

Isabelle grinned cheekily. "And you got stuck here waiting for me?"

Noa smiled back because there was a greater threat in those words. Noa fully understood she was the only sister left in the house, the only sister willing to sacrifice her last homecoming for the sake of their chapter.  _Some sisterhood they had_. It would take an awful lot of finesse to get through this week and still be able to hold onto their charter.

"It's just a silly football game." She waved it off like it was truly nothing, like she would love nothing more than to spend her Saturday with some know-it-all from Nationals.

"Good, if you'll give me the keys to each room, I'll start my tour while they're out." She commented in a sickly-sweet voice.

Noa blanched, her face paling. The contents of her sisters’ rooms could single-handedly end them. The girl's mini fridges were stocked full of liquor. It didn't matter if they were of age or not, every sorority house was had to abide by Panhellenic law which stated that each house must remain a dry house. In laments terms, no alcohol would be permitted on the property.

"I'll go grab the keys."  _And the charter to our chapter so you can rip it up_  she thought angrily.

**(Miles)**

The scoreboard numbers changed as the Rush Valley fans went into a frenzy. Without their leader on the field the confidence of Centrals team had wilted. Buccaneer swore so loud Miles had no doubt the fans had heard it. His teammates were tired, worn, and after watching their lead slip away, they looked beaten. In the game of football there was always going to be pain, but when you're losing you  _feel it_. Every ache and sore are amplified in the wake of failure. The burn in his calves was only outdone by the throbbing in his arms. Olivier had always said pain would ebb but the shame of failure would linger and fester. He watched their defensive line run out there he could only pray that they could hold them. They needed one more goal, if they had to make up two it would be a lost cause.

He thumped a junior guard on the back, "Go get em' Travis!" The large player nodded his head, a grunt the most confident response he could expect.

Pacing the sidelines, he crossed and uncrossed his arms as his team was slowly pushed back yard by yard.

"Miles!"

Snapping his head towards the direction of the call he almost forgot that she was still out there.

"Never thought I'd see the day when you gave up." She barked unpleasantly, her face still a little pale. Stubborn woman needed to see a damn doctor, despite the obvious fact that she was speaking more sense than he could credit himself for at the moment.

"They're killing us out there." He fired back; too frustrated to care that he was actually raising his voice towards Olivier of all people. "I don't play your position, you do." He could be her second in command, but finding himself as the key player was a lot of pressure.

"Then end it already."

Oh, he wanted to end it, he wanted to throw his helmet off and throw a tantrum that would make even his mother embarrassed of him. If their defense didn't hold, there was no way they stood a chance. After everything, he just couldn't believe they were going to lose here, on their homecoming game, on their own turf. "We've got nothing left, you were our ace." He mumbled, the frustration giving way to defeat.

The fire was back in her eyes. "Don't be an idiot, the line held." She grinned. "There is one play left, one that you know better than even I do."

One of his other teammates threw him a water bottle which he guzzled down before putting his helmet back on. The liquid refreshed him, along with the new idea planted into his brain. "You really think that's going to work?"

Olivier just stared out at the field, "Looks like you'll get the chance to find out."

The crowd behind them was in an uproar as their defense took back possession of the ball. The chanting started and he knew she had a damn good point. It wasn't the best play they had, it was one of the only ones that they could utilize without Olivier being the key player. They really had relied on her for everything hadn't they?

"You just meet me at the goal line okay?" Her stern expression flickered until her smile won out. "When we win, I'll make sure I tell you I told you so."

The Rush Valley defensive linemen were big guys, big enough to compete with Buccaneer and the rest of his offensive linemen. They say you can't test your true strength until you put it all on the line. With only a minute twenty left on the clock, this was really the only chance they had. Johnny nodded at him, his position set for the play. It was a complicated string of fake outs resulting in one last run, one last try for a game winning touchdown.

All the moisture seemed to have vacated his mouth as he tried to swallow. It was going to work or it wasn't, there wasn't room for regret in the final countdown.

"Set…hike!"

The play started as soon as the ball left the ground, finding its way into Miles's hands.

**(Roy)**

The entire crowd was holding their breath as the play kicked into gear. For a moment he forgot the beer in his hands and just stared. Throwing his hands in the air he yelled, his cheer joining the masses despite the beer raining down on them. The feeling all around him was electrifying, like a bolt of energy to his stupor.

At last he saw it, the most beautiful move in football history. After a series of fake outs and a switching of hands the ball fell back into Miles' hands, his feet already crossing the twenty-yard line.

His voice was hoarse as he screamed profanities at his team because like hell he was going to walk out of that stadium with the name of the losing team across his chest.

Riza sucked in her breath next to him as they both watched Miles get cut off by two Rush Valley defensive players. As if he were superman, he shoved the first players head down as he catapulted into the air, his body twisting to avoid the second charge. When his body finally fell two more players leap onto the dog pile, sufficiently blocking the truth. Was he in?

It had gone silent, the painted faces and drunken gazes of some of his brothers were all hanging by a thread. He even saw Breda carelessly drop the hot dog from his grasp, not even trying to catch it as it tumbled to the ground.

The ref finally stepped away from the dog pile after a few of them clambered to their feet. Turning back to the crowd he threw his hands up in a signal of a touchdown, the goal was good. As if someone had lit a fire under their asses the entire Central side leapt to their feet, their hands up in the air as they screamed in celebration. He didn't care who saw as he pulled Riza to his chest, pushing his lips against hers and effectively laying one big one on her. Thank goodness he had seen her have a few drinks or else he might have found himself knocked out. She was a marksman that made most men shake in their boots, but only a few knew she also had a wicked left hook. He sincerely hoped that she was kissing him back and not planning her revenge. This almost seemed a little too good, especially when she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him in closer. The next play had already started but the clock soon switched to zero as the crowd burst into an uproar of raised beers, loud screams and a wave of jumping and fist pumping that is only acceptable at a sporting event.

**(Miles)**

The field was deserted, the stands still filled with garbage and confetti. With the help of Olivier's little sister, he had been able to get her car driven back to her house and the fifty-yard line was currently lined with petals from her favorite flower. She was a high-class girl and though the white lilies had cost him a fortune, he didn't care. When the game had ended, he had thought about canceling his plans and taking her to the hospital himself, but she had nearly taken the trainers head off when he tried to tell her something similar. Not exactly a good start to what he wanted to do.

So, there he was, standing in the center of the field, still soaked from having the cooler dumped over his head, waiting for her. Then he saw Olivier emerge from under the bleachers her footsteps halting as she took in what was in front of her. Her hair was wet like his, only he knew she had had enough time to shower while he only had so much time before the guys in charge would lock them out.

Even with the overhead lights illuminating the field it was hard to see her expression until she stood at the start of the fifty-yard line, her gaze following the petals to him.

She slowly began to toe the line her eyes piercing right through him. "What is the star of the game still doing out here?"

"Do you remember the first time we met?" He asked her, his nerves put at bay. The field was his territory, his home turf, he wasn't scared here. "You kicked my ass the first day, took my position as starting quarterback."

She laughed in amusement at the memory. "Do you think coach is going to put you back as starting QB?"

Miles grinned, "No."

She stepped closer and Miles wondered if she had ever been anything but confident.

"So what is it that you wanted to tell me?”

At this point she was so close he had no other choice but to steel his resolve. "Walk with me?"

Olivier raised her eyebrow as his outstretched hand but if she found it uncomfortable she didn’t let on. Instead they walked hand in hand past the 40, 30, 20, 10 and finally they were under the goal post.

Olivier looked up at the goal post, "I told you so." She breathed.

Miles grinned, "You had that much faith in me?"

"Trust, not faith."

Chuckling himself he shook his head, here goes nothing. "I brought you here because I fell in love out here."

Olivier looked around, "The cheers, the adrenaline, the fight, the glory, what's not to love?"

Miles winced, she wasn’t going to make this easy on him and he wasn’t a man of words. "It wasn't the game I fell in love with." He pointed back to the fifty-yard line. "You start in the middle and a play can go either way. You showed me that no matter where you start, you chose where you end. And this is where I want to end. Here. Right here, with you. I fell in love with you Olivier."

Just as the overhead lights flickered off one by one, Miles cradled her cheek in the palm of his hand.

He didn't need to pull her in that far, she was already leaning in when he finally kissed her. Pulling back slightly he could feel the heat of her breath still on his face as she pressed her forehead against his. The darkness engulfed them but neither of them took it as a sign to leave.

**(Hughes)**

The game had ended a few hours ago and the whole gang headed back to the BTA house to prepare for the annual Homecoming Party. In other words, all the brothers and their friends were setting up the kegs and continuing to keep their throats wet as they celebrated their team's victory.

Gracia tugged at his ear, pulling him down so he could hear her over the growing noise of the music and the crowd.

"I'm going to get another drink, you want one?" There was no slur to her words but he knew she had to be feeling it, he was.

Nodding his head, he kissed her on the forehead, "Yeah, thanks love." He watched her fade through the crowd, a content feeling in his stomach.

"Well hello stranger."

Maybe he was a little drunker than he thought, because this was a face he hadn’t seen in _years_. "Sofia?" He asked in surprise.

The dark-skinned girl grinned, flinging her arms around his neck. "Maes, it's been so long!"

The idea of seeing Sofia here at Central blew his mind and he returned the embrace still trying to process it. "I thought you were still studying archeology in Xerxes?"

Her smile widened as she leaned back in his arms. "I am, but a few of my friends invited me to come to Central for the weekend. Wow." She touched his face as if it were unreal. "It's good to see you again, how are those two brothers of yours?"

He shrugged, "Frank's still up at North at Briggs and Wally is at basic training. Your mom doing okay?" His mom often worried about Sofia's mother who had spent most of her life in and out of hospitals.

Sofia sighed, her smile a little softer. "Her latest surgery went really well; you're sweet to ask."

He turned as he felt someone tap his shoulder. Gracia stood off to the side, two drinks in her hands. He wasn't sure why she was staring him down until he took in what she was actually glaring at. Sofia had her hands on his bicpes; her body suddenly too close to his. Stepping back he took one of the drinks from his fiancés hand, slipping his arm around her shoulder.

"Gracia, this is one of my friends from back home. Sofia, this is Gracia, my fiancé."

Sofia dropped her hand immediately, her expression faltering for a second. "Oh. Oh wow, congrats Maes!" She ran a hand through her short brown hair, "I should probably be going. It was good seeing you again. Nice to meet you Gracia."

Before he could wonder why she looked ready to bolt, she was already gone. Weird.

"A friend from back home?" Gracia asked him, taking a long sip from her drink.

For the life of him Maes could not figure out what had just happened. "Yeah." He answered bemused, "I can't believe she just left like that, I haven't seen her in years."

"Maybe you should go after her."

Maes froze. Whoa, he had no idea Gracia could sound so cold. "What do you mean?"

She managed to avoid his gaze as she finished off her drink. How much had been in her glass anyways? "If you want to go be with her, go."

He slid his arm off her shoulder so that he could stand in front of her, "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing-"Her gaze lingered around the scene before at last meeting his.

"It's not nothing; you're upset."

"Did you used to date her?" She asked.

The drink almost fell out of his hands. “Sofia? No! Like I said we used to be friends, actually our parents were friends.”

She nodded as if she didn’t believe him and he had a feeling she was not listening to reason. This was not Gracia he was looking at, this was a slightly tipsy and from the looks of it jealous Gracia. He wondered if she had ever been jealous, the emotion was very un-Gracia like.

Well if words wouldn't do it, maybe he could show her. Bending forward he kissed her. It should be obvious how he felt about her.

She didn't respond at first but eventually her hands snaked around his neck and she was kissing him just as roughly. The two of them pushed through the crowd, his car the closest thing. He pushed her against the side. The party still raged in the distance, no one troubled by their absence. Wanting a little more privacy, he opened the backseat of his car, wanting to talk to her a little bit, but secretly wanting to continue their current activities.

Gracia pushed him backwards into the backseat of his car. His breath was stolen in that moment leaving him wide eyed and frozen. Her lips brushed against his neck, an unexpected moan brewing in the back of his throat. It was like nothing they had ever done before, nothing that he had ever felt before. Oh, he had thought about this moment since the moment she had first initiated a kiss, but somehow it had escaped them. The thought of hurting her had always made him uneasy, his fears outweighing everything else. Despite his brothers jibes he knew what he had with her was worth more than just this one act. In their freshman year they had both felt the pressure to hold onto what they had by doing it, but when he found her in tears, he had known she wasn't ready.

As they lay entwined in the back seat of his car, he got the sinking feeling that this wasn't the right moment either. Every part of his body burned where her skin touched his, practically begging him to take her, but she didn’t deserve the backseat of a car.

"Maes?"

Oh no, how long had he zoned out for? Gracia was sitting up, her legs straddled on both sides of him. "Am I doing something wrong?"

The uncertainty and the lingering taste of alcohol confirmed it. He would never say no to her, but he could say no for her. After four years he didn't want their first time to be a drunken night neither of them wouldn’t fully recall.

Her hands lingered on his shirt, which was halfway pushed off before turning away. The cars temperature which had been blazing hot now seemed to cool towards an icy chill. Gracia sat on the edge of the seat, her back to him. Sitting up he tried to embrace her gently from behind but she shrugged out of his hold, her face still absents from his view.

"Gracia-" He choked out, unsure how to explain through pointless words why he had made this decision.

"You don't want me, I get it." Her body shook a little as she tried to sit as far away from him as possible.

He tugged at her wrist, forcing her to face him. She was an intelligent woman, but when it came to knowing her own self-worth, she was clueless. Maybe he just needed to remind her.

"I want you, for the rest of my life." How could she not see it? "There isn't a single cell in my body that doesn't want to make love to you. But I want to make our first time something special, not like this. You deserve champagne and red roses, soft music and massages…not the backseat of my car."

There were tears in her eyes as she turned to him, but she didn't cry. "What if I wanted to?"

His throat felt tight, his muscles tense. "You want our first time to be right here?"

The skin across her forehead drew together as if something were trying to pull free. "I don't want to wait."

Gracia was gone and in her place was some kind of seductress he had never met. "I don't uh, I-uh…" God this was awkward, "I don't have any protection."

As if she hadn't heard him she continued to disrobe him, her hands too quick for his hazed mind to comprehend. He was more than smitten to kiss her lovingly on the mouth but it began to deepen. He was a little lost when she pulled away and began to move down his body. What was she doing? He felt her lips still trailing down his stomach with no hint of stopping…oh. His mouth fell open as he pulled in a startled breath. She had  _never_  done this before.

Somewhere between complete bliss and hazy decision his hormones took over. The air was thick with heat, their clothes useless to them now. He slid his hands up the smooth skin of her inner thigh.

"GET WASTED!" Another loud voice chimed in. "YEAH!"

A loud thumping on the car window caused Gracia to sit up quickly her head smacking into his. There were several voices outside the car now and despite the darkness outside; he didn't trust the fogged-up windows to hide them forever. He would never say the phrase 'I told you so' but once again the idea of doing it with her in the backseat of his car was not romantic. His breathing was still heavy as he cupped her chin in the palm of his hand before kissing her on the forehead. She was still flushed but he knew reason had finally persuaded her against it in the end. "Another time, I promise."

Sighing she pulled her shirt back on, before kissing him on the corner of his mouth. "Yeah." She murmured halfheartedly.

"FUCK CENTRAL!"

Both of them froze as a few others joined in on the sentiment, curses and jeers now engulfing the parking lot. There was no way his brothers or anyone else celebrating their homecoming would start chanting and shouting like this. Swallowing hard he pulled the rest of his clothes on hastily before shoving Gracia the rest of hers.

"Lock the doors as soon as I get out, got it?"

"What?" Her face puckered in confusion.

His brothers would solve a matter like this with their fists, he needed to find Roy and end this before it escalated.

**(Edward)**

The third-floor balcony, as he suspected, was deserted. No one at this party was capable of climbing three flights of stairs and they were just sober enough. Winry was right behind him, the lion paw prints on her face slowly wearing off. They had both seen a lot the past few weeks and it was a relief that their pledge days were finally behind them. He had gotten off pretty easy for hell week but even though he wasn't a pledge, he did realize he was on the bottom of the totem pole until another class came through.

There was a faint redness growing on her cheeks as he watched Winry sip at her drink. Taking a swig of his own drink he had another thing on his mind…other than making sure she was far out of reach from the drunken party boys he had seen eyeing her ever since they arrived. He watched her out of the corner of his eye trying to figure out what it was exactly about her that made him so tongue tied.

"How's Al doing?"

He eased up a little as the subject of his brother came up. "Good, in fact he wants to meet you."

Her eyebrow raised a little, a coy expression on her face. "And why exactly would your brother want to meet me? Been talking about me behind my back, have you?"

"Maybe." He admitted unabashedly, "I might have bragged that I knew a famous automail mechanic." He liked the way her face lit up, reminded him of the sun as it peaked over the horizon.

"Well I can't say no, I have a reputation to keep. When can I meet him?"

He ignored the rising voices from the yard as he pushed back from the railing. "Whenever you want to."

The blue in her eyes twinkled as a crease formed along her forehead. "Hmm, is tomorrow too soon?"

"Tomorrow?" He thought about it for a split second before he pushed her shoulder playfully. "Nah tomorrow sounds just about right."

They chatted comfortably, the occasional laugh between them setting the tone and killing his nerves. He needed to stop thinking about her as more than a friend. For good measure he inched a little bit away from her as they leaned their backs against the rail. He didn't trust himself to not do or say something stupid with his mind beginning to swim and his beautiful friend so close.

When they had both finished their drinks they decided to head back down when the noise level, which had been escalating for the past hour, reached a high octave as the sounds of sirens mixed in with screams. Ed searched the panicked crowd with his eyes to try and find the source of the problem.

A large group of students wearing Rush Valley red and silver were throwing punches left and right, inciting a near riot. It wasn't fight or flight, every bone in his body ached to fly down over the balcony and join in on the scene. This was their fraternity house, and those were his brothers out there getting knocked. Gripping the railing he threw a leg over the edge ready to scale the side of the house when two hands pulled him back roughly.

Losing his balance, he collided back onto the balcony. "What the hell?" He rubbed his throbbing elbow, catching sight of a blonde head and angry blue eyes.

"You are a complete idiot sometimes." She mourned through clenched teeth as she hauled herself up to her feet, stooping to offer him a hand. "We are not getting MIP's tonight, come on."

That certainly got him to his feet fast, the idea of fighting long gone. If he got caught with alcohol in his system in the house, his brothers could get charged with providing alcohol to minors.

Thank goodness for Winry and her level head. Though he had no inclination of letting her know that.

Racing out into the hallway he grabbed ahold of her hand as people shoved and pushed past them to streak down the stairs.

"HALT, THIS IS THE POLICE."

The echo of voices had to be coming from the first floor. "Shit!"

Spinning around he kept Winry in tow. "There's no way we are going to make it of the house, we need to hide."

Ed shouldn't have been surprised to find that all the bedrooms on the floor had been locked. Feeling cornered and angered that he had led them to a dead end he banged his fists at the door next to them in frustration. That was when he heard it creak open slightly. Eyes widening, he realized they had missed one door. Hearing the sound of heavy footsteps on the stairs he didn't dare chance a look behind them before he shoved her into the dark space, colliding into her as he slammed and locked the door behind him.

As soon as he shut the door, he lost his balance and ended up pinning Winry against a set of shelves. Oh this was just great; he had locked them into a cramped closet. A small whimper brought him back to reality.

"Winry, you ok?" He whispered, scared that he might have really hurt her.

She spoke through clenched teeth. "You're standing on my feet."

Smooth. "Oh shit, sorry about that."

Both of them went quiet as the sounds of door knobs jangling and hard voices made their way up and down the hallway. When a hand jerked at their door, he subconsciously held his breath, nervous that they might somehow hear his frenzied nerves. Or worse that they might be able to sense the terribly loud beating of his heart as Winry leaned against him.

Exhausted, but unwilling to check to see if the coast was clear they both sank to the floor. Winry yawned a few times before he noticed her breathing had turned shallow. The sight of her peaceful expression as she slept against his shoulder drew him in as he too slowly succumbed to sleep.

**(Roy)**

"Oh ho ho!" Christmas had come early this year, or perhaps Christmas and a birthday. Fuery had already taken several incriminating photos, all against his personal judgment of course. But there was no way he was going to let this moment pass without sufficient proof and mockery.

The house was a mess, he had already gotten several angered phone calls from not only IFC but from his Nationals, and Riza had taken Gracia home which left his bed empty, but all things considered this night hadn't turned out half bad.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" He inquired loud enough to wake the sleeping occupants.

The battle of the red faces began shortly after Ed pulled his hand from around her shoulder and Winry picked her head off his chest.

"Save it Mustang." Ed commented wryly as he helped Winry to her feet, his face flaming in embarrassment.

"Mind telling me why Falman found you and Winry locked in a closet at four in the morning?" He ignored the murderous glare from his fraternity little brother.

Saving them from more embarrassment Maes walked in between them, having just made his way upstairs. "You two can crash on the couches in the living room, no one is driving home tonight." He held out his hands, "Keys Ed."

Responsible Hughes was nothing out of the ordinary, but this subdued version of his good friend was troubling. Come to think of it, he barely saw him at all that night. That and though he knew his friend and Gracia were traditional, she usually spent the night. It did not escape him that Gracia had asked Riza to take her home.

"What's the matter with you?" Havoc grumbled, obviously nursing an oncoming hangover and not catching the picture behind the words.

His friend tensed, his eyes hidden by the reflecting of light off his glasses. "You want to know what's wrong with me?"

Mustang could feel the tension building in the testosterone and alcohol fueled bodies around him. He noticed Winry shrink back towards the wall as Hughes eyes flashed with a darkness he had never seen before.

"In case you haven't noticed there were over twenty people here who got MIP's. That means that all of us who are over twenty-one in this house are going to get taken down for selling to minors. Not only that but I've already got Tyrone James, the President of the Interfraternity Council, on my phone calling me to an emergency meeting tomorrow. And you wanna know why? Our chapter is being called to a Judicial review and our fraternity is on suspension until our case. As if that weren't fucking enough, I just got ticketed for a noise violation because I was the only one who would talk to the cops. So, if you're done ragging on one of the only brothers in this fraternity who didn't fuck up tonight." He gestured toward Ed who looked just as stunned at the rest of them. "I suggest you start packing your stuff or get us one hell of a defense. Either way we are all royally screwed." His chest heaved as his glasses slid a little down his nose.

The anger was already gone by the time Maes was done with his venting, but the look of pure disappointment held fast.

Roy could blame it on the Rush Valley students or even the countless underage kids from Central University itself, but the look in Hughes eyes said the truth. He couldn't blame it on anyone but himself, he was president and he should have done  _something._ Disappointed Hughes felt a whole lot shittier than any of the charges that had been rattled off.

Ed came to first, gently pulling the blond along with him. "Come on Win we can go sleep on the couches downstairs."

Falman and Fuery were gone before he could even blink, leaving him alone with Hughes.

"Maes listen I-"

Hughes cut him off, his body language exuding fatigue. "Forget it. I'm going to bed so I can pretend that maybe this is some kind of nightmare."

Roy was left standing alone in the hallway, all laughter gone from his face. The night came crashing around him like a heavy cloak of misery.

**(Riza)**

Riza held Gracia's hair back as she deposited the contents of her stomach out, her sobs subdued for the moment. This had to be one for the record books, her friend had never drank so much that she had puked. But it wasn't the puking that bothered her, although it was still gross, she wasn't the one who should have been taking care of her. Maes and Gracia were a packaged deal, where one went there was the other. They took care of each other, loved each other and were engaged to stay that way forever. So why had her friend pleaded for her to take her home and had barely even looked at Hughes?

She was also worried about Roy and his brothers, but Gracia had needed her more at the time. After some struggling and a little help from Rebecca they had managed to get Gracia to bed, making sure to place a trash can within puking distance.

"I've never seen her like this." Rebecca revealed once they were sitting alone in the living room. It was well past 3am but neither really felt much like sleeping.

Riza nodded her head in agreement, troubled by what their friend couldn't tell them. "It's got something to do with Maes, but what they could possibly be fighting about I can't even imagine."

"I'm going to knock his teeth out." Olivier spoke up from across the room. Riza noticed that the blissful heir of serenity which had surrounded her sister when they got home was gone. Now the sleep deprived girl looked ready to duke it out with someone. "Just what the hell happened at the BTA house tonight?"

Both Rebecca and her exchanged glances, "We left before the cops showed up." Rebecca sighed dramatically, "Some Rush Valley boys gate crashed the joint and started a brawl just as we were thinking about leaving."

Rubbing her temples Olivier sat down next to her. "If my head wasn't killing me I would walk right over there and strangle those boys. I just got called by Carrie, she said both NPC and IFC are calling an emergency meeting of all the presidents tomorrow, as if I don't have anything better to do."

Carrie was the only Kappa Delta on National Panhellenic Council and Riza knew Hughes was the only one on the Interfraternity Council from BTA but they were going to need a hell of a lot more pull than that if they were going to get the chargers dropped. The three of them sat in silence before Olivier spoke up again.

"Are all the girls accounted for?"

"Yeah, most of the girls left earlier than we did." Rebecca recounted.

The fact that Olivier had yet to remove her hand from her head sent off a warning signal in Riza's mind. Her sister had been hit pretty hard, but she had insisted that she was fine. Sensing eyes on her, Olivier quickly lowered her hand, "So my little sis got home safe?"

"Roy texted me a little while ago, she's crashing on their couch for the night."

Olivier immediately jumped up, heading towards the front door.

Rebecca gaped with an open mouth at her. "Where are you going?"

As if it made all the sense in the world Olivier looked at them like they were crazy. "Going to pick her up, where else would I be going?"

Riza didn't miss the way her hand grabbed for the keys that were sitting on the table, only to reach a few inches away. Something was wrong here. "She'll be fine. I'm more worried about you."

"Why would you be worried about me?" Olivier asked her eyes fiery at the admission.

"You were knocked out cold today during the game, that had to have done something. Let us take you to the hospital to at least have you checked out."

How could her sister wave off her health like this? Wasn't she worried of the damage she could inflict in the long run on her body?

"I'm fine." As if to avoid any further scrutiny she set the keys down and mumbled something about annoying sisters before heading back upstairs. "I have a meeting tomorrow morning. Will one of you make sure Winry gets home safe?"

"Of course." They both chorused.

Olivier continued to walk up the stairs. "Thanks."

At last the night finally caught up with her and Riza could barely hold her head up as both she and Rebecca headed off to bed. Olivier was already asleep by the time she crawled into her bed, and switched on her alarm clock. She had a feeling Roy needed to be at this president meeting too, though she had known him long enough to realize he would probably sleep right through it. Setting the alarm early enough that she could wake him up herself, she drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

The sharp and spastic like beeping woke her up like nails on a chalkboard. Cringing she felt around in the early morning light until at last she hit her alarm clock. Her one hit did nothing; the sound kept coming like an aggravated bird sounding off when someone comes too close to its nest. Feeling irritated she glanced over at her roommate, how was Olivier sleeping through this? Sitting up she peered curiously at her alarm clock only coming awake enough to realize it wasn't hers that was beeping.

Getting up she crossed the room and managed to locate her cellphone. "Come on Olivier, time to wake up." When she received no response she tried shaking her body. Pushing her on her back, Riza leaned in close, "Olivier! Wake up!"

Her hands trembling, she stumble around the room looking for her own cellphone before an operator came over the line. "911 what's your emergency?"

Riza blanched at the words that left her mouth, "My roommate isn't responding...she's not waking up."


	13. Judgement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

**(Jerso)**

The seventies and the eighties had brought the Greek world into a new reign. The organizations had gone from the once prestigious and humanitarian organizations to an elitist and party going mass of chaos. But as Jerso knew and as most Greek communities on college campuses were learning, this era had come to an end. Drunk driving had killed, hazing had gotten so bad that sometimes the consequences were worse than death and the ever-present promiscuous circles and violence against women had all but unveiled the evils brewing behind the scenes. In order to survive, in order to protect their creeds and their place in the world they needed to dig back into their past and rediscover the values their founders had taken pride in and lived by. They needed to purge themselves of those members and those fraternities that had fallen off the deep end.

The idea of a values based Greek community had been his platform when he ran as Interfraternity Council president, but he had a sinking feeling that his fraternity's relatively easy-going nature and friendship among the chapters had been his winning ticket. None of the other chapters really seemed to grasp his plans or his ideas for the future. Ever since his election he had been fighting an uphill battle.

So, when he was pulled out of his sleep at 3am to listen to the Dean of the university ready to disband the very community he had been working his ass off to save, he was more than a little perturbed. Sitting at the head of the board table in the Greek Life office he studied the group in front of him, eyes lingering the longest on his president of external affairs, Maes Hughes. Had this been any other meeting they would have already had to endure endless photos of his beloved fiancé and himself. This reserved and rather defeated looking guy in his place validated what he already knew, BTA was about to take a fall. Of all the fraternities, besides his own, he had always taken a liking to Beta Tau Alpha. They were a loyal group of guys with good character and thus one of the only groups he had thought he didn't need to worry about.

The current council included himself a member of Alpha Mu, his Vice President Zolf Kimbley was from Delta Iota Kappa, Vice President of external affairs belonged to Maes Hughes of Beta Tau Alpha, Vice President of internal affairs was Darius from Delta Tau and his Vice President of Membership was Heinkel also of Delta Tau. The intense rivalry between Beta Tau Alpha and Delta Tau usually made matters pretty sticky, but Maes was a level-headed guy and Darius and Heinkel weren't really much trouble.

"You know why we're here, but I'll repeat the report that landed in my hands from the Dean. Beta Tau Alpha held an unregistered party last night at their chapter house. After an incident of fighting occurred on their property the police were notified. Upon arriving on the scene, the officers apprehended several underage Central University students intoxicated." He paused, his gaze shifting to the smug look on Kimbley's face. "I know that BTA was not the only one to have a party last night, but seeing as they are the only ones that were shut down by University police, they are the only ones on the chopping block today."

It was clearly the intention of Dean Bradley to make an example out of the Beta Tau's. Lacing his fingers together he rested his chin on his hands, his elbows positioned on the table in front of him. "Maes, I wouldn't have it any other way, you guys will get a chance to defend yourself. But I'm not going to lie and tell you it'll be easy, you are in violation of the social contract. For our purposes your fraternity is on social probation."

He watched Maes lower his head and nod once. "I'm sorry you had to get involved."

Leaning back in his chair he could almost smell the alcohol on Heinkel and Darius's breath, he was surprised they had even showed up at all. It was more than obvious that there had been more going on last night than he cared to find out.

"If you will pass it on to your presidents, there will be a trial with the student judicial board tomorrow." Glancing at his own notes he sighed. "Alright, now to vote on the social probation term for Beta Tau Alpha. It is my opinion and that of our Greek adviser that we vote between now and the end of the semester or now until the end of the year. All those in favor of this semester?"

One look around revealed the majority easily, all those except Zolf. He waited patiently thinking that maybe he was just finishing up typing but it was no mistake. Looking quite self-assured he butted into the short silence. "All those in favor of a year?"

Jerso’s mouth hung open as Zolf took the floor, his hand firmly raised as he proposed the last option. Gritting his teeth, he frowned, if there was one thing, he hated it was someone stepping on his territory. He was president and as president he was chosen to preside over meetings, not Zolf. No matter, the majority had already been reached. "Well despite your objections make sure you note that BTA will only be on social probation for this semester."

"I disagree whole heartedly; you really think a semester on social probation is really fitting? Maybe if you didn't have such a biased council, we could leave this room with a true vote." He closed his laptop, "Oh don't worry this is all off the record of course. I wouldn't want to put ideas into the Deans head. If he thought you were letting some fraternities in this council get off easy of course."

"Shut it Zolf, we voted, it's a done deal." Heinkel spoke up.

"Who didn't party here last night? I'm not the biggest fan of BTA, no offense Maes, but let's be honest; it could have easily been one of us." Darius another member of Delta Tau chimed in, his fingers at his temples rubbing away what looked to be one hell of a hangover.

If he timed it out right, he could still ring in a quick nap before his meeting with the Greek Advisor. "Alright, that's its guys, thanks for coming in on such short notice."

Once the others had left the room, he noticed Kimbley was waiting for him. Good, he had some words to share. He was a strictly business kind of guy, it wasn’t anything personal. "You ever try to overstep your authority on this council and I will take you down."

"What are you going to do, threaten to put my fraternity on social probation for a semester?" Zolf

His face crumpled in disdain. "Listen, I understand your concerns and I-" He ground his teeth together, "… _respect_  your opinion, but when we vote on this council, the decision must be upheld by all of us. In other words, you will respect this decision."

"Terrifying." He laughed a twisted kind of manic laugh before gathering up his stuff. "I'll email out the meeting minutes per usual."

"I would be terrified if I were you-" He paused for the effect, "Some might have forgotten about those girls who filed charges of sexual assault against you and your fraternity brothers. Charges that miraculously disappeared, but I haven’t." He stepped closer to Kimbley. Jerso had watched Zolf’s back in the past, but those days were over. He didn't get this far in college without knowing a little bit about covering all the bases.

The dark-haired man's face was already pale but Frank could see the difference, he had hit it on the nail. "Is that a threat?" He snarled.

"No, that's a promise."

**(Alex Armstrong)**

Alex sat on the edge of the putrid green chair, his body feeling cramped in the small piece of furniture. The TV buzzed nosily in the background as voices echoed over the loudspeaker, the occasional person joining them in their perpetual state of exhausted waiting. The clock overhead ticked away the hours as the ugly walls seemed to close in. Hospitals had always made him uncomfortable, but this waiting game only made the place uglier.

His father was currently talking to one of the doctors while his mother held his younger sister Catherine close to her side. Looking around, Alex could see his family all wore the same haggard and uncertain expressions. It had taken them all by surprise and the sight of Olivier, a giant among even men, so tiny and frail looking caught them off guard.

They weren’t the only ones caught off guard. A steady procession of well wishers had come to offer support including her sorority sisters, teammates and even some of his own fraternity brothers. It didn’t shock Alex that his sister could draw such a crowd. What did surprise him was that one well wisher in particular hadn’t left.

Miles, one of her best friends, had his head in his hands and Alex wished he were closer. There was something there, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on, but he wondered if there was more to his sister than she led on. This handsome man looked forlorn in only the way he imagined a lover would.

At last his father came walking back towards them, his face grim, but not severe. Not sure how to express his support he placed a hand on the man's shoulder, looking down a little to meet him eye to eye.

His father tried a small smile for his wife and children, "Our dear Olivier has been through quite a lot. They took her in for a CT scan." His smile gradually widened as the corners of his eyes crinkled. "With some rest she should be able to make a full recovery." His father glanced at the stranger in their midst listening intently to the news. "It will be some time before the medicine wears off, I will have Alex call you when she wakes."

Miles looked slightly uncomfortable. "If it's alright with you sir, I’d like to stay."

Alex was not a fool, and when it came to matters of young love, he considered himself an expert. He could barely contain his enthusiasm as the man bravely stood his ground; Olivier had obviously not revealed to him that their father was as soft as they come. He wondered if his sister knew the affections of her good friend ran so deep.

"You are that Miles boy from Olivier's team, no?" His mother asked, her eyes twinkling like a serene star in a black night.

"Yes ma'am." He answered a little formally as if he were unsure how to address them.

The atmosphere around them seemed to lighten as the Armstrong family began to piece together the subtle clues about why this young man was so distraught over their daughter. "She will be pleased you have come."

"Yes." Alex chimed in, feeling a little bit of relief. There was always good to be found, and here was the one thing he could claim for the disaster of a day. His sister was a very lucky girl. "She will be stubbornly obstinate that you have wasted your day in this place, but she will be delighted all the same."

Catherine beamed at him, her hands clasped together in delight as they exchanged knowing looks. Olivier was their cherished sister and seeing her in love would be vastly rewarding. It was about time she took care of her heart.

**(Winry)**

The wind blew her hair out behind her as Ed sped through the city streets with the windows down. A girl could get used to feeling like this and it took a fair amount of personal restraint to not throw her hands in the air and cheer at the feeling off freedom.

Then there was Edward and his presence was still something of a mystery to her. Were they friends? Honestly, she thought that might be true but there was another part of her that wondered what else they were. All pleasantries aside Winry was also fully aware of how physically attracted she was to him. There was something about the way he drove a stick shift car that made her appreciate his ability to maneuver a very fast car. When at last they pulled into a parking garage she realized how badly she had misjudged Ed's lofty use of the word _apartment_. His dads place was not an apartment; it was a high rise.

"Wow." Her hand drew to her mouth as she took in the sheer size of the place, not to mention the location. "Must be lonely on top of the world." She mused quietly as the view stretched across the city. The glass elevator stopped at the top floor as Ed withdrew his key from the panel. She had yet to even walk into the place and already she was tongue tied in awe. It reminded her of the first time she had stepped off the train in Central. The sea of noise and people had made her feel so small and insignificant. That's exactly how this  _apartment_ made her feel; if you could call the top floor suite of such a pricy place an  _apartment_.

"Come on." Edward prompted her as he began to walk away from the entrance as if the suits of armor that lined the space were nothing of consequence. Winry was compiling a 'you know you're rich when…' list in her head as he led her through the maze of expensively furnished rooms. She had just come up with a 'you know you're rich when you have a room specifically dedicated as a library' when at last Edward slowed his fast pace. Lying down on a large sofa surrounded by a glass wall that revealed access to a rooftop garden was a fragile looking boy with golden hair.

If Winry felt unease at being in such a lavish place it was diminished at the welcoming smile on the boy’s face. Besides the difference in eye color she found he was a younger, but still handsome, version of his brother. His body looked a little malnourished, but she could see a healthy color in his cheeks and a sparkle in his eyes as he practically tackled his brother in a hug. "Brother!"

Looking rather embarrassed Edward gently untangled himself from the embrace. "Yeah, yeah don't get too excited." He grumbled loudly.

Undeterred the young teen glanced meaningfully at his brother and then at her before clearing his throat expectantly. Winry tried to hide her smile, the gentlemanly thing to do would have been to introduce her. Then again Edward was far from being a gentleman, but she was very intrigued to find that his brother appeared to be quite the opposite.

"What?" Edward asked obstinately, clearly not reading his brother's hints.

Sighing, the younger brother approached her on his own, extending his hand pleasantly. "You must be Winry, I'm Alphonse. Brother has told me  _a lot_  about you."

"Oh? Has he?" She sent Ed a hard look as she grasped the younger man's hand in greeting. "Edward has told me a lot about you, but he never said anything about living in a place like this."

Al looked around as if the huge room was nothing too impressive. "I wanted to move back home, but Dad is renting this place until he's positive there are no long-term effects." He tapped his head in good humor while Winry noticed his brother scowl. "But I don't mind too much, especially because now brother has no excuse for not coming to visit." He added happily.

Her heart warmed as she gazed at the generously kind boy who seemed much like Edward's opposite as he did his mirror. "Where is home for you?"

His face lit up with delight while Ed's seemed to darken. "Resembool." Alphonse replied with such a wistful tone that Winry was caught completely off-guard.

"Resembool?" She repeated in disbelief.

"That place is nothing but sheep fields and dead ends." Edward interjected, his face lined with annoyance.

"But it's still home." The more she thought about her hometown the more she thought about her grandmother. Had it really been three months since she had left home?

Alphonse sucked in a breath of surprise. "Wait, you're from Resembool?"

It seemed Alphonse was a lot more perceptive than his older brother.

Winry looked over at Ed as she responded, "Lived there my whole life."

His gaze on her was piercing as if he too were trying to figure out how they could have missed each other is such a tiny place. "Small world huh?"

"Getting smaller every day." She agreed, her thoughts running through all the people she knew in Resembool.

The older Elric brother looked like he was going to say something else but flinched when his phone went off in his pocket. Pulling it out he scanned the screen. "Aw hell." He muttered, his expression darkening. Texting back to whatever message had come to him, she watched as he shook his head in disbelief. "Looks like Beta Tau Alpha is on social probation, and I have to show up for the student judicial board trial tonight."

They would need to revisit the Resembool conversation but this was news.

"How is any of this your fraternities’ fault? I know for a fact that your fraternity wasn't the only one to have a party and if underage drinking is the key factor, they might as well indict half of campus for providing to minors!"

Winry knew Maes had probably helped to soften the council's determination of social probation and not chapter suspension, but to face the student judicial board? They had the ability to expel students from the University.

"Brother-"

During her little rant she had failed to notice that Alphonse had a knowing look on his face.

"Don't." Ed practically spat out, his eyes flashing. "Don't even mention that bastards name, we don't need his help."

Looking equally frustrated the younger Elric let out a saddened sigh, "You may not like it, but all of this does have its benefits. If you just talked to him, I know he could pull some strings." His hands gestured around at the illustrious apartment.

"He doesn't need to know and you aren't going to tell him." Ed maintained with a big brotherly heir of command.

Not one to stay silent Winry stuck up for the kid. "Ed, your brother's right. If you give him a chance to help you, I think he will."

Looking indignant he began to back away from the two of them. He shot her a hard look. "You don't know him Winry, he won't help."

She took a step after him, her face close to his as she held her ground. "So, it wouldn't hurt to try."

His face was so close she could see the vein in his temple throb slightly. "I don't _need_ his help."

"Everyone needs someone Edward."

"I've got you and Al, don't I? Why the hell would I need anything more than that?" He answered confidently.

Winry felt her mouth drop open slightly at the force of his words, how in the hell did this conversation flip so fast? The pulse under her skin began to race as her eyes flickered to his lips and back to his eyes. Did he notice that she was no longer talking about asking his father for help?

Al cleared his throat quietly, effectively breaking her concentration on how it would feel to kiss her best friend. Jumping back a little she tried to control it, but she knew her face was radiating a deep red. Thankfully Ed's phone went off again, and in a wave of cursing she figured out exactly who was on the line. _Speak of the devil_.

"What's this got to do with you?" There was a pause, "You think Delta Tau is any better? Ha!"

Noticing that he had an audience Edward stormed out towards the balcony, sliding the door behind him with a solitary boom.

"Sorry about my brother." Al said sadly, "I don't think things have been very easy for him." As if looking for a change of subject he motioned for her to sit next to him. "How long have you been with my brother?"

"Probably since-"Realizing what she was saying Winry narrowed her eyes at the cunning boy in front of her. _Recovering my ass!_

He tried politely to stifle his laughter but it came out anyways. "I knew it! I made him promise to bring you to meet me." He added with a bit of amusement, "Because knowing my brother it could be a lifetime from now before he admits that he likes you." He winked at her.

"Likes me?" She wondered aloud.

He raised an eyebrow, "Were you in the same room a few minutes ago?”

"He’s my best friend, he doesn’t see me that way. I mean we aren’t like that." It was necessary that she remind herself why this was important.

The sliding door opened and shut, effectively cutting off their conversation and leaving Winry with far too much attention to thoughts of what could be.

Wiping a hand down his face Edward looked beat. "Sorry to cut our visit short Al, but we should probably get going."

Winry was about to say her goodbye when the younger boy wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace. She returned his hug, wishing she hadn't been an only child.  
"Will you come back soon for another visit Winry?"

Edward huffed indignantly, "What am I, chopped liver?"

Al let go of her before going to hug his brother. Ed stepped away from the close encounter choosing instead to ruffle the kid's hair lovingly. "Yeah, yeah. Make sure you take care of yourself."

Once they were in the car riding home Winry sighed in content, her lips still curled in a smile. "Your brother is a good kid."

Ed snorted like he was enjoying a private joke, "He's not even eighteen yet, still not legal Winry."

She batted at him playfully, "Funny Ed, but you know what I mean."

There was a moment of silence before his body appeared to relax. "He's one of the best."

"He’s lucky to have a brother like you." She spoke honestly, unable to hide the embarrassingly affectionate tone of her voice.

She could see him watching her out of the corner of his eye. The space in the car was stifling with things she suddenly wanted to say to him, things that she hadn't realized were coming on hard. It’s too bad they had closed the windows.

"What did you and my brother talk about while I was outside?"

Winry debated what version of the truth she was going to stick with and decided it wasn’t time yet to reveal some deeper things on her mind. "He said things haven't been easy for you."

“Oh.” He shot her a nervous glance. “Have things been easy for you?" He countered back softly.

Winry thought about the last time she saw her parents alive and the time it had taken her to earn enough money to afford college, and her grandmother slowly losing her health. "No, guess not." Her voice came out stubbornly as if she had to force it.

His hand grasped hers for a brief second as the car slowed at a red light. "Good, misery loves company, right?”

Winry knew when the light turned green, he would take his hand off hers, but it could be a good thing. If he held on any longer there was a chance, she might do something she’d regret. She might just let herself believe they could be something more.

**(Noa)**

Her perfectly manicured nails clicked impatiently on the dining room table as she waited for Isabelle's final report. It was some kind of miracle that the girls had taken most of their booze with them, she had only come up with a measly 8 bottles. In her mind that number was less than ten, an epic low for the damn house. How Isabelle could be taking more than two hours to write up a report to Nationals was beyond comprehension.

Now her sisters hadn't exactly helped matters upon their return home. Not only had the girls returned from the party smashed, but their field consultant had managed to pry out information that churned her stomach.

The girls had blabbed about the police showing up and ruining the night, how two of their girls had received MIP's and last but not least, how the fraternity was being sent to the Student Judicial board the following day. Hadn't any of her girls ever heard of pleading the fifth? The news just kept rolling in and with her executive board nursing hangovers she knew calling an emergency meeting was out of the question.

Finally emerging from the study Isabelle marched out towards Noa, her eyes sharp as she pushed a stack of papers towards her. Refusing to sit down she stood like a bird watching its prey from above.

Reading the first sheet of paper Noa felt her blood boil. "These are resignation papers." She stated through clenched teeth.

Smiling sweetly Isabelle didn't appear at all disturbed. "There is no need for the chapter to take the fall; we have a reputation to uphold on this campus."

"And you want me to take the blame and resign as president?" Noa seethed, her respectful demeanor long forgotten.

"No, I don't want you to take the blame." She handed Noa a pen, "I'm telling you to take it."

She had spent too much of her time at Central University working her way to the top. She was planning on running for Panhellenic council, resigning as president would kill her candidacy. "I won't do it."

Isabelle shook her head slowly, leaning close. "Listen here brat, I deal with bitches like you on a daily basis, now you'll either sign a resignation form or I will rip this charter to shreds. I've been working for Nationals for five years; don't think I haven't seen all this before. You're running this chapter into the ground and everyone knows it, but you. Sign the papers."

**(Riza)**

A huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders when at last they had gotten the call that Olivier was awake and responding. Her anxiety wrenched list of worries had begun to dwindle. The next one on her list had everything to do with why she was currently lying in bed with a very happy man.

His fingers traced the scars on her back as she lay across his chest. Roy was a very physical creature and though she wasn't going to admit it to anyone besides him, she wasn't complaining. Exhaustion had a way of forcing your body to relax and with his touch she was melting away into nothing. Turning her head so she could stare across his toned chest into his eyes Riza slowly worked her way up so that she could reach his lips. He kissed her back slowly, their lips barely touching.

"You were right." His voice was still husky, eyes piercing.

When he wanted to, he could charm the hell out of her.

"I'm always right." She corrected him.

It didn't take a psychiatrist to know that he was in no shape to stand trial, even if it wasn't a criminal trial. Things between him and Maes were strained at best, and she knew it was tearing him up. Thankfully it only took a little persuasion to get his mind off of things for a little.

He kissed her on the forehead before shifting out from under her. Looking like a sick puppy he didn't walk away from her just yet. "Think I'll take a hot shower before I face the gallows. Care to join me?"

Riza stood up, coming up behind him so that her chest pressed against his back, her chin resting on his shoulder. "I'm not letting you get away so easily. How much longer do I need to convince you that you are Roy Mustang?"

He grinned at her, "I think it's almost working, better not stop." Without preamble he scooped her up in his arms and threw her over his shoulder.

"Wah!" She hit his back with her fists playfully, their laughter ringing through the room.

Riza liked this confident and self-assured Roy. This was the man she could depend on, not the forlorn thing she had found imitating him that morning. This was the man that was going to fight for his brotherhood.

**(Gracia)**

The leaves were already changing their colors, the healthy greens to the vibrantly assorted art in living color. Walking through the park she drew her jacket a little tighter around her as the temperature remained colder than usual. That was the message she needed to see right? That things change, that nothing good can last? That the best summer of her life was over and the realities of winter were on their way?

That's the thing about being lonely. Time seems to draw to a painful standstill and all those things you want to share with another just feel empty. Feeling a little lost she continued to put one foot in front of the other. When at last she reached the student center building, Gracia could almost feel her stomach twist and tie itself into knots. She had spoken to Maes, but it had been uncomfortable and awkward. He had been short with her, only a few words before he muttered something about needing to make it to the hearing. The worst was the end of the call, the three words that had been absent when she really needed them most.

Gracia shook away the desire to curl up and cry, right there, on the front steps. There had been no fight, no broken promises and nothing of real consequence to be upset about. She knew it was irrational to pin point his refusal in the backseat of her car as the end of the world. But in their four years of being together they had never had so much as a disagreement. Her heart beat fast in her chest, she wasn't sure how this was going to pan out.

The ballroom had been set up to accommodate the massive crowd that had gathered to witness the fate of the brothers of BTA. Gracia loved those boys like they were her own brothers and this just didn’t sit well. It wasn’t until she found a seat that she realized that in her haze she had failed to notice the young pair sitting up front. For whatever reason it reminded her of when she and Maes first began talking. The sight of Edward and Winry gave her flashbacks.

Why couldn't things be that simple.

"Settle down."

As remarkable as those two words are when repeated furiously by the head of the student judicial board, they worked pure magic as the dean of the University stood up.

The air went out of the room as Dean Bradley calmly uttered the same two words.

There was a rush of motion and a scuffling of chair legs against the floor before the hearing officially began. Gracia wrung her hands out nervously in her lap as she watched Roy and Maes stand up to defend their letters.

Dean Bradley started off the proceedings, the vacant expression on his face not a good sign for the boys. "It has come to the University's attention that your organization has blatantly violated University policy. I am rather disappointed at the weak retribution on the part of the Interfraternity Council, but that is not why we are here."

The head of the student judicial board cleared his throat a little louder than was necessary. "This hearing will come to order at 6:12pm, will the defendants please state their names and affiliations."

"Roy Mustang, Beta Tau Alpha President."

"Maes Hughes, Beta Tau Alpha Vice President and IFC board member."

Gracia relaxed a little bit, at least they sounded confident.

"You may be seated." He shuffled a few papers before continuing. "Beta Tau Alpha fraternity, for our purposes, has violated the student code of conduct by holding an unregistered party. You have two minutes to state your case."

"This entire proceeding is based on whether or not my brothers and I had an unregistered party, to that I must ask where in our student code of conduct does it define what a 'party' is. I could be wrong but seeing as we had neither invitations nor a register that such an event was occurring at our house I would disagree with the current charges. Furthermore, I would like to assert that in order for the party to be put on our shoulders it would have to have taken place on our property. Legally speaking the gathering occurred in the side yard and if you take a look at our land contract you will see quite plainly that we do not own the land at the side of the house. Technically, BTA is responsible for the five-foot distance on that particular side. As president of my fraternity I think I speak for all of my brothers when I say that the social probation is a fitting penalty for this rather murky rule. A semester to just focus on our grades and philanthropic endeavors is just what we need."

Gracia’s eyes flickered to Maes as she watched his mouth, which had gaped open during his friend's speech, snap shut.

"Do you have anything to add Mr. Hughes?" Another member on the council asked.

He adjusted his glasses on his nose before shaking his head, "No, I believe my brother has stated it all."

"Are there any questions from the broad?" The main person on the board asked his fellow members. Two girls on the right side were grinning just like most of the people in the room. Their case had just been cracked wide open.

When not one of the members chose to delve into this argument it was hard to ignore the death stare coming from the Dean.

The main speaker on the panel, looking immensely relieved, jotted down a note before turning back to the two men in front of him. "We will reconvene once we have come up with a decision. This case is adjourned for now."

There was muttering amongst the crowd, a few of the brothers patted Roy on the back before turning to walk out of the room for some fresh air. Gracia was about to call out to Maes, hoping he would at least talk to her, but he had beat her to the punch. In an instant he was wrapping his arms around her. In that moment Gracia believed every word he said and knew she had been a fool. Gracia squealed as Maes picked her off the floor, embracing her tightly against his chest.

Wheezing slightly, she tried to suggest that she did in fact need to breathe.

"Gracia." He whispered her name with such a reverence that it was hard to keep the tears of relief from pouring down her face. Gracia smiled as he rewarded her with several chase kisses on her cheeks, forehead and finally her mouth. "I have been an idiot."

An idiot yes, an idiot she wouldn't forgive, no. "Let's forget all about the other night." She requested anxiously. The feeling of his hand on her cheek made her want to jump him right there in the middle of the now vacant ballroom.

He sighed before putting his hands on either side of her shoulders. "When all this is over, I want-I want…I want exactly what you want." He finished with a twinge of embarrassment that reminded her of that same stretch of time when they had been scared little freshmen. "I want you, all of you. But I want you when you are ready, when we’re both ready."

She might have been drunk the other night, but he seemed to think she was a saint and for once she couldn't wait to prove him wrong. "When all this is over." Gracia agreed whole heartedly. Rubbing his back as she kissed his cheek softly, "You could use something to relieve this tension."

Maes blinked down at her, his eyes owlish.

He didn't honestly think that after being in a sorority for four years she hadn't picked up a few tips? "You underestimate me."

"No." he shook his head vigorously, "I am amazed by you."

Maybe if his fraternity wasn't on the line and they weren't in a room that was filling up once again they might have found out just how amazing. But as the board filed back in, the atmosphere plunged back into a somber anxiousness. The decision had been terribly quick and the Dean's expressionless face wasn’t helpful.

She squeezed Maes hand before he made his way back to face their judgment.

A younger guy, who had been taking notes the entire proceeding, read the decision out loud.

"It is the decision of the student judicial board involving the pending case with Beta Tau Alpha that we fully endorse the IFC decision as well as requesting an extra 10 service hours…per member to be completed by the end of the semester."

Nodding his head in agreement the main speaker folded his hands in front of him looking decidedly grim, a gesture a little above his age and maturity. "If BTA does not comply with these components they will lose their charter. This meeting is adjourned."

Maes shook hands with a few of the IFC members who had gathered to back them up as well as the board members themselves. The dean had already vacated the premises but despite his warning the crowd was full of smiles and congratulatory handshakes.

"What do you say we get out of here?"

The familiar steady and strong hand around her waist gave Gracia the reassurance she had been looking for. "Sounds wonderful."

**(Leto)**

Climbing over the railing he stared down at the rapid flowing water below the bridge. The adrenaline cursing through his body made him feel invincible. Choosing to walk up to deaths door rather than being dragged there made all the difference in his mind.

Leto glanced at the traffic flowing across the busy bridge, no one even bothered to look at the man ready to jump. He tried to imagine his funeral; would all of his one-night stands show up crying about a lost love? Ha! He wondered how many girls in the Greek system would use his death as reason to skip class. Noa might even claim their long but fatal relationship was the truest love she had ever had.

Funny how people love you more when you're dead. In death they forgive your mistakes and your character flaws.

There were two missed calls from Rose on his phone. That was a can of worms he should have never opened; the bait was far too strong for him to handle. He wasn't used to her, to what he felt like when he was with her. Prior to meeting Rose, he had been ready to give up the fight when the time came. He had lived life to the fullest; he had drank with the best of them and certainly fucked the rest. No time for remorse, no time for relationships and drama. But Rose, he was beginning to regret his time with her, the more time he spent with her the more he thought about how little he had in the long run. He would never be able to love her fully in this life.

For the first time since he had been diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis Leto realized he was scared. At the age of twenty-two his life was more than halfway over and it had never seemed so terrifying. Infertility was pretty much a guarantee and until Rose he had seen it as a blessing. Grabbing at his head, he tried to get a hold of himself. He would never be able to be with Rose, to be a son, brother, husband or father to anyone. Any more of this thinking crap and he was going to change his mind. Taking a breath, he closed his eyes and jumped.

 


	14. Dark Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's something sinister brewing at Central University.

**(Leto)**

The air pushed back at his skin as his fight with gravity began to spiral out of control. The water rushed up to meet him as air filled his lungs and it was glorious. You're never more alive than when you're almost dead. His breath came back to him as the cord around his ankles went taunt, his body forced upwards. The bungee cord let him relive a portion of his fall again and again until at last the cord swung back and forth uselessly. His smile dimmed as they dragged him back up, the fight for his life no longer in his own hands.

"You’re a fucking loon, you know that right?" His brother Dolcetto cheered on in admiration.

"You have no idea." He agreed with Dolcetto before he watched the guy take a leap of faith, screaming the whole way down. Leto knew he should talk to someone about what was going on in his head, but the bigger picture didn’t really exist, so why bother?

One of the instructors took his eyes off of Dolcetto's fall for a brief second, "Never seen anyone so silent on a bungee jump, this not your first time?"

It was always something, rock climbing, skate boarding, cliff diving, and now bungee jumping. "Nah."

The instructor looked him over, a bemused expression on his face. "You weren't scared?"

"Not something to be scared about, there are worse things out there." He thought about the waiting game this disease had created for him.

"Not afraid of death huh?"

Leto thought it over, there were all kinds of reasons why he was the way he was. "I'm not afraid of death." He agreed. "I just don't like dying."

**(Jean Havoc)**

The pair walked briskly, the fall night air slightly cooler than usual. Jean tried at least twice to wrap his arm around Rebecca's shoulders but only succeeding in irritating her.

"Jesus Havoc. I said you could walk me home not  _take_  me home." She muttered in annoyance.

"As if there's a difference." He grumbled under his breath. Not that he wasn’t a gentleman but Rebecca sent more mixed signals than a rookie referee.

Her tone shot a warning at him. "If it wasn't dark, I would have ditched you back at the bar."

"Un huh, you keep telling yourself that Becca." She could be a real pain in the ass sometimes, but he rather enjoyed her bluntness.

"Ugh." She grumbled like a child on the brink of a meltdown. "You are impossible. Honestly, I have no idea why Riza would leave me with someone like you!"

They had been at a local pub after the trial and somehow Riza and Roy had managed to escape before anyone else could ask where they had gone. Seeing as they lived relatively nearby, he had gallantly offered to walk her home. The idea that he was somehow anything less than desirable was however starting to ruffle his feathers. He was going to get a headache before his hangover had even begun. "You're lucky I decided to walk you home. I have no problems walking by myself."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever; let's just worry about getting back. This campus creeps me out at night."

He puffed his chest out slightly with a grin. "Aw come on, there's nothing to be afra-" 

_Crash!_

Rebecca let out a strangled cry and clutched his arm as they both turned to look where the noise had come from.

Jean squinted in the darkness, was that a figure standing along the roofline? When he blinked again there was nothing but the starry sky. "What the hell?"

Just as he was about to shake it off he noticed that Rebecca was still attached to his arm, her eyes wide in horror. Following her stare he spotted what had caught her attention. Jean understood what had crashed and why Rebecca refused to let go.

They didn't get any closer. It didn’t have to be said, it was obvious from where they stood that nothing more could be done. He held Rebecca close, his own stomach churning. When he called the police he found himself fumbling for the right words to describe what they had just witnessed.

The night kept dragging on, one painful question to the next. It was obivious to him that they both would rather not relive the moment, but the police insisted they retell their tale until exhaustion really began to kick in. By the time they were released the sun's rays were already shedding away what had felt like the darkest night.

Havoc lit up a cigarette and took a long drag with his eyes closed.

"Mind if I?" Rebecca asked softly.

Surprised at the question he held out his cigarette nonetheless. Jean wondered why she waited for him, he thought she would have hitched a ride by now. He watched her lips seal around the white stick before exhaling a wisp of smoke. "I didn't know you smoked." He commented.

Her mouth twitched a little, "There's a lot you don't know about me." There was a small pause. "Havoc?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm glad you were with me...I don't think I could have handled  _that_  alone."

Taking one last puff he smashed the remains into the ground. "Did you see someone at the top of the tower?"

Rebecca shook her head looking bewildered, "No, did you?"

"I don't know." He replied honestly.

"Jean if you saw someone up there…" She asked in dismay.

Shaking his head, he tried not to alarm her with what he  _thought_  he saw. "Pretend I never said anything, it's been a long night."

"I don't think I could sleep, even if I wanted to." She played with the zipper on her jacket.

He had felt exhausted, but the idea of reliving what they had seen while he was asleep didn't appeal to him either. "Up for some coffee?" He offered.

Rebecca chewed on her lower lip then nodded her head, all previous pretenses to each other gone.

**(Maes)**

Maes knew getting a call well past midnight from the Greek adviser wasn't very promising. He allowed himself one more ring and a calming breath before answering. If it was possible to be coherent at this hour he was going to attempt it.

"Hello?" He answered cautiously.

"Sorry to call so late…"

Marc was his IFC advisor; actually he was the entire Greek life advisor. Maes knew him well enough that this rather timid and hesitant voice was uncharacteristic and a little unnerving. Marc was relatively young for being a Greek advisor despite what the lines of gray running through his hair implied. Maes thought his best characteristic was his disdain for the Dean of the University, Bradley.

"There has been a death." Marc's voice hitched, making it sound like he was on the verge of a breakdown.

Maes perked up, all sleep gone from his limbs. A death? Jumping out of bed he felt his hand tremble slightly, it had to be someone he knew if Marc was calling  _him_.

"Jerso passed away tonight." The line went silent following his words.

"Jerso?" Maes asked in complete disbelief. A memory of the IFC president at their retreat ran through his head. Jerso had a talent for making spitballs and his arm at the back of Kimbley’s head had been impeccable. The guy was full of laughs, there was no way he was gone, there just had to be an explanation. "But how?"

"They aren't positive, but they think he committed suicide, but there’s just no-there’s no way he would ever do that."

Maes knew his advisor was probably speaking more to himself but he returned the sentiment. The idea of Jerso committing suicide was unfathomable. "There must be some kind of mistake, some explanation." He tried to reason out loud.

A deep sigh came from the other end as Marc finally began to waiver. "I think everyone can tell you he was one of the most promising kids out there. I really thought he was the one to change things around. I'm sorry to put this on you, but I thought you needed to know. I'll call you Tomorrow when I have more details."

The air felt heavy, pushing him down until he was kneeling on the floor.

"Maes." Marc said his name. "You still there?"

He didn't want to be there, he didn't want any of this to be real. "Yes."

"You alright?"

What a stupid question to ask. "Are you alright?" He retorted, wishing he didn't sound so defensive.

"Will you notify your chapter for me?" Marc asked instead.

There wasn't much else he could do at this point. "Sure thing."

Dropping his phone on the ground next to him, he wiped his palm down his face. Jerso was different than most of the guys their age, he was one of the good ones. He was a popular guy on campus and well respected in the community for his efforts to turn things around. They hadn't been best friends, but after spending a good chunk of his days with him on the council they were more than casual acquaintances. Suicide. The term made him uneasy, it was something that happened to other people, not someone he knew. Were there signs? If there were, would he have been able to stop him?

Not sure how to deal with the news Maes let it simmer in his mind before he couldn't stand it any longer. Picking up his phone he knew there was only one person he could call.

He was hugging Gracia tightly to his body in a matter of minutes, the time it had taken for her to pull on a sweatshirt and running shoes.

Panting slightly from her run she held his cheek in her hand, "Maes?" She whispered once they were in the privacy of his room. "What's happened?"

To repeat the shocking details felt wrong on so many levels. The words died on his tongue the moment he tried to speak. Pulling her back into his arms he felt some of the weight in his heart shift on to her. She shouldered his burden and helped him remain standing as the night dragged on. He wasn't sure how long they had been standing or when they had decided to lay down, but when he felt someone shake his arm, he figured he must have fallen asleep.

Gracia placed a cup of coffee on his bedside table, her hand running down his arm. "Do you want me to get you some breakfast?" She asked sweetly, her eyes full of concern.

Sitting up he leaned forward and pressed his lips against her forehead. "You're an angel you know, that right?" Pulling back, he took a sip of the coffee she had set down for him. "I should probably go talk with Roy, should have done it last night."

Looking a little upset Gracia shook her head slightly, "Havoc stopped by the house about an hour ago, he was the one who-who found him."

Maes flinched, "Some kind of luck we have." He responded dejectedly. "The trial and now this? Feels like someone's out to make our lives hell."

Gracia didn't contradict him because even she could probably tell this was going to get a whole lot worse before it got better…if it got better.

**(Roy)**

A lot of students had packed it in early this year; word had spread fast. With Halloween decorations already put away for the year, it was hard to imagine how the entire campus could still look so eerie. The place was dead.

Most University students had already packed their stuff up and left for Thanksgiving break. A death on campus was not a new concept, but almost everyone had known Jerso. He had been a big man on campus, a well-liked student and a promising young business man. Several professors had cancelled classes today in honor of his memorial services. No one wanted to stay on campus longer than they had to.

Roy walked by Hill tower, the caution tape still zoning off the area. The silence between the lines echoed around him. He thought about the look on Havoc's face when he had first told him what had happened. Suicide was such loaded word, a tragedy for anyone, but it just didn’t make sense that Jerso of all people would do that. He thought about Professor Hawkeye and how the light had gone out of his eyes. _Seeing one death this semester had been enough._

Back at the house things weren't much different, most of the boys had already packed and gone home. The remaining members were dressed in black, ready for the memorial service. Hughes was pacing the living room looking frazzled.

Leaning over to Breda Roy gestured towards Hughes. "Should I be concerned?"

Breda crossed his arms with a groan, "Since Jerso’s death Kimbley has been named the interim IFC president."

That wiped his thoughts clear. "Already?"

"Yup. Already stopped by the house a few minutes ago to tell Hughes they are going to be meeting over break." Breda confirmed.

Well that explained the frantic pacing. Hughes was supposed to be spending the holiday with Gracia's family this year. Roy had almost kept their meeting on Sunday but had decided against it. He might not have a family that celebrated being together, but he did acknowledge that others did. Especially with the events of the past two days; people needed to get away from all the drama and get some rest. "What did Darius and Heinkel from Delta Tau have to say about it?" Those guys were not the type to work over a break.

Breda chuckled humorlessly. "They told him to go fuck himself."

That seemed like a reasonable request for the prick. "I'm assuming that didn't go over too well."

Breda shrugged his shoulders, "It explains why Hughes has been a mess. Kimbley threatened to kick them off the board and while we would all be happy to see some Delta Tau's get their asses handed to them, this doesn't feel right."

He hated the Delta Tau's as much as the next Beta Tau Alpha member, but he had never liked Kimbley. At least this wasn't a battle he needed to fight.

"Leto can watch out for his brothers just fine. What we need to do right now is support Alpha Mu." Today wasn't about Greek politics; today was about coming together and standing up in the memory of a great guy.

It was a sight he was not likely to forget. The massive amount of people that had gathered for the service was a melting pot of every sorority and fraternity on campus. Obviously more hailed from some than others, but even still, it was rare sight to behold. Girls leaned on one another, an occasional red eyed stare and wet cheeks. A few of the other fraternity presidents came over to say hi, their mutual bond with Jerso giving them common ground.

Miles even dropped by to greet him along with Olivier who had just recently been released from her hospital stay.

"Still can't believe it." The dark-skinned man spoke roughly.

Olivier pursed her lips, "No one can. If you ask me there are some pieces in this puzzle that will never fit."

Intrigued, Roy pressed for more. "What makes you say that?"

"The fact that security cameras caught sight of someone coming down the steps from the roof minutes after he jumped." She spoke harshly.

The connections of the Armstrong family never ceased to amaze him. "Don't suppose you're going to tell me who it was?"

Her face twisted in a downward snarl, "Believe me, if I knew, the bastard would be six feet under by now. To insult his memory by calling this a suicide makes me sick. All of us presidents have had the chance to work with him all summer; you'd have to be crazy to think he'd actually jump willingly."

The start of the service put an end to any further discussion but it didn't stop the wheels from turning in his head. As they began to seat themselves, he felt a wave of relief as Riza wordlessly found him amongst the crowd and took her seat by his side. The atmosphere was thick with soft sobs, sadden faces and depressing thoughts. Some kind of memorial service this was turning out to be, Roy knew Jerso wouldn't have wanted this.

The service had many speakers but there was only one speech that finally seemed to touch on what Jerso might really have wanted said. Jerso’s brother Zampano walked on stage, his Alpha Mu brothers supporting him from the front row. The kid looked pained as he stared out at the massive amount of people that had gathered in respect to his brother. Everyone knew they were adopted siblings, but that weren’t they all adopted brothers and sisters in Greek life?

"When I first came to Central I learned two things, stand for what you believe in, and believe in what you stand for. Jerso always thought our Greek community could be better and that we were the generation to make it happen. I look around and I see my brother's dream, I see rival fraternities and sororities sitting next to each other. I see a group of people, Greek or not, that have come together because somehow my brother touched their life. My family and I want to thank all of you for coming to show your support." His voice began to shake from its forced calm as he took a deep breath. "I wish he could see all of you here, to see how much he is missed." The kid covered his eyes, but it didn't hide the lines of tears that trailed from under his hand down his face. One of the administrators of the University stepped forward to take the mike for him, but he waved him away. Wiping his face Zampano began to speak. "I challenge all of you to keep my brother's dream alive, to make this community something we can be proud of. I know the kind of legacy my brother left behind. What will yours be?"

The rest of the service had the usual tedium of respectful memoirs as well as tear-filled goodbyes. And yet the younger man's voice kept echoing through his head. What kind of legacy would he leave behind?

After the candle vigil, Roy, a few of the BTA members, some Alpha Chi's and Kappa Delta's all went to the local pub. Miles sat with him and Maes. Having been the closest of the group to Jerso they had formed an unspoken bond.

"I really feel like we should do something in his memory. After hearing his little brother get up there and speak, I want to actually do something." Miles commented after they had all each endured the depressing silence for long enough.

Roy took a swig of his beer before setting it down. "I've been thinking the same thing."

"He was trying to get us more involved in the community. I know his fraternity just got into the Make-A-Wish program." Maes added thoughtfully, his glass of water a stark contrast to their drinks.

The girls joined them soon after. Gracia leaned against Hughes arm, "Why not hold some kind of benefit in his memory with all the proceeds going to Make-A-Wish foundation?"

Roy had to fight off a grin as he watched Olivier finish off Miles drink. Completely ignoring the concerned look from Miles. Someone who just recovered from a serious concussion shouldn't be drinking, but like hell he was going to tell her that.

"Ridiculous, I am perfectly fine." Olivier admonished him before turning to the group. Her presence was undeniable. "Then we’ll do it. Why not set it up for the week after break?"

Riza shared a look with him. Things like money, time and planning were never obstacles so far as Olivier was concerned.

"And what would we call it?" Riza asked plainly.

Everyone turned to Gracia as she let out a delighted sigh, "Dreams do come true! We could make it a fairytale ball. Get it? The money goes to children who have terminal illness and the idea is that this money will grant them one of their wishes. So dreams do come true? Fairytale ball?"

It sounded stupid and a rather pitiful way to ignore the unspoken issue of suicide lurking in the back of their minds. Then again doing nothing sounded just as heartless so he kept his mouth shut and he was glad he did. The grin on his best friend’s face reminded him of the real Maes. Maes, the happy go lucky, Gracia is the sun, moon and stars Hughes.

"You are brilliant my love." He praised her.

Gracia blushed hard, but looked sublimely happy at the compliment nonetheless.

Roy took that moment to stand up on his chair, calling the attention of the entire bar. The sweat dripped off his glass as he held it up high. "To Jerso."

Several glasses joined his as they all remembered a great man. "Jerso." The rest of the bar echoed somberly.

**(Winry)**

Rose laughed loudly as she finished stuffing some shirts into a bag. "And you should have heard the way Regina practically begged me to come back! Seems like their field consultant found out about what Noa did. Did you know it was against policy for Noa to kick me out like that? Noa resigned as president but everyone said she was forced."

Winry had been listening patiently, but that last bit made her uneasy. "But look at what they did to you, why would you want to go back to that?"

"Oh Winry!" She said in her overdramatic fashion, "You sound just like Leto did when I told him, but like I said it was all Noa's doing. I'm sure the girls had nothing to do with all that other crap."

Winry couldn't believe how gullible her roommate was. "They just stood by and watched it happen Rose. There wasn’t a single girl that said or did anything to stand up for you."

"Well yeah." Rose answered as if that solved the matter.

"They didn't stand up for you." Winry reiterated. "As your sisters, they never once had your back and yet you think they do now?"

Her lower lip pouted out. "I thought you'd be happy for me?"

How could she explain to Rose that she was falling right back into their trap? "If you are  _truly_  happy then I am happy for you."

"Good, because I already accepted." She held up a shirt with the Alpha Zeta letters on it. "I wish I could stay and meet your parents when they pick you up, but it looks like mine are already here."

Rose had the type of parents that sent care packages weekly and called daily. The past week alone they had left Rose a million different messages saying they loved her, especially when they found out about the suicide on campus.

Winry opened her mouth to explain why her roommate would never meet her parents, but Rose's father had already opened the door to their room and was holding on to her for dear life. Rose rolled her eyes and tried to shrug him off, but he continued to beam at her. The man only let her out of his sight long enough to grab the rest of her bags. Rose's parents helped her carry her luggage out to their car before saying goodbye.

Winry tried to push away the jealously that surged upon seeing Rose's mother "mommy coddle" her. But it bubbled up and she knew clenching her jaw was the only way to not blow up at her roommate when Rose let out an exasperated sigh mumbling about how annoying parents could be.

It was hard to bring up any sympathy for her roommate as she watched her follow them out the door. Winry tried not to dwell on the absence of her parents, but seeing Rose with hers made it that much harder.

Winry reclined back in her chair as she stared at the ceiling, trying to push away the unnecessary urge to cry. So she wouldn't be able to go home for Thanksgiving, so what? The past two weeks had proved that things could be worse.

"Knock knock."

Sitting up straight she blinked hard to clear any evidence of her troubles as the blonde haired boy peaked his head into her dorm room.

"Hey Ed." She motioned him on.

He walked in, plopping himself on her bed. "Thought you would have left already." He mused as he flipped through her open Xing history book.

She tried to act as if it was no big deal. "Oh, I decided not to go."

The corner of his lips pulled down, "And why aren't you going home?" He asked suspiciously.

"I've got some studying to do." She lied smoothly.

Ed put the book down, glaring at her. “I can tell when you’re lying Winry."

The heat rose to her cheeks as she tried to keep from spilling the truth. "I've got to work at the garage too you know."

"Both good reasons, but they don't explain why you aren't going home." He concluded smugly, like a detective fleshing out a suspect.

"I can't afford the train ride home and I don't have a car. Like I said, I will be working at the garage and doing homework."

Winry fidgeted to prove to herself that he didn’t have her pinned to the spot with those eyes.

"You want to go visit your granny, right?" He said each word slowly like he was thinking it over himself.

For being a genius sometimes he sure was slow. "Yes Edward, why else would I want to go there?"

His serious expression startled her as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. Holding it out in front of him he thrust it at her. "Here, that should be enough."

"I'm not taking your money Ed."

Looking intimidating he stood up to his full height to look down his nose at her. "Just take the money. Think of it as payment for fixing my car."

"I'm not taking your money." She repeated.

"Fine then! Pack your damn bags and I'll drive your ass there!" He left the room in a huff, the door slamming in his wake.

Her first reaction was to follow him right out that door and knock him over the head for talking to her like that, but then she realized what he had just said. She sat there completely stunned for a few minutes.

“You better be packing!” Came the loud and irritated voice of Edward Elric as she heard him slam the stairwell door out in the hallway.

Picking up her phone she redialed her grandma's number. "Hey Gran. Looks like I'm coming home for Thanksgiving after all. Mind if I bring someone with me?"

**(Edward)**

It was all her fault that his temper had gotten away from him. That sad, I ran over your dog, kind of look in her eyes and that obstinately stubborn streak of hers had forced him to say it. The worst part was that he didn't even realize it, not until he was back in his room packing for the weekend.

Had he really just invited himself to spend Thanksgiving with Winry and her grandma? That was terrifying in so many different ways that he thought he should damage his automail to kill the proposition right then and there. His thoughts flickered to Al but that only made his cheeks burn, his kid brother would be way too enthralled to know that he was going to spend the holiday with Winry. Spending the weekend with his best friend wasn't at all daunting, but spending the weekend at a  _girl's_  house for a holiday? Like this wouldn’t bring a heap of awkward moments.

He picked up one of Winry's suitcases and put it in the trunk. "Geez woman, you pack your entire toolbox in here?"

She smirked at him like he had said something funny. "What else would I put in there?"

Luckily, she enjoyed the same music he did, which made the ride a little more enjoyable than he had thought. She hummed along with the slower song, her fingers taping out the beat on the car door. From there he occasionally glanced over at her when she had gone quiet, her eyes shut. He had planned on driving through the night, but with Winry fast asleep he couldn't exactly keep his music turned up. The urge to close his own eyes was growing harder and harder to resist. Pulling off to the side of the country road he cut the engine, wiping his hands down his face and slapping his cheeks.

Still no good, he felt just as tired as before. Judging by the time, he still had about another three hours left of the drive before they hit her part of Resembool. A train would have been faster, but one didn't leave till Tomorrow and driving had seemed like a quicker solution. That and for some reason having an entire drive alone with her to himself had seemed more appealing than a train ride.

After Winry had fallen asleep he found it harder and harder to keep his focus on the road. The sight of her chest rising slowly and falling was like counting sheep. Fuck it, he was in no shape to drive. Putting on his hazards he decided that a little cat nap would do the trick. Nodding off he decided his dreams had taken a funky turn. At some point in his dream he thought he felt Winry pick him up and he could have sworn he saw her driving his car…weird.

"Ed…Ed…EDWARD!"

"Wuh? Huh? I'm up, I'm up!" He protested adamantly, his hands grabbing for a steering wheel that wasn't there. Startled out of his sleep he looked at the dashboard in front of him as well as the yellow house at the top of the hill they were currently at the bottom of. "What the-?"

Winry laughed unbuckling her seatbelt and dangling his keys over him. "Thought I'd save us some time and finish the drive while you were asleep."

"Huh? YOU DROVE MY CAR?" He accused her loudly.

Rolling her eyes, she got out of the car like it was nothing. "Don't be a spoil sport Ed. if I did anything to your car it wouldn't be anything I couldn't fix."

She had a point,  _of course she did_. His dream was beginning to make a lot more sense. Getting out the car he started to look around when suddenly a black and white blur came out of nowhere, knocking him off his feet. "Ah! Get it off me!"

The once fearsome looking dog was now licking his face sweetly, making Ed feel a little embarrassed at his overreaction.

"Aw, she likes you Ed. Come on Den!" Winry called gently to her pet.

The dog's ears instantly perked up at her master's call, giving Ed a chance to notice her automail leg. Getting to his feet he watched as she ruffled the dog's fur as it nuzzled her affectionately. A part of him liked the fact that she could be so enamored over a creature that had metal for an appendage. _So he did stand a chance_. No wonder her and Al got along so well, they both seemed of like mind when it came to furry creatures.

"Come on Ed, you can carry the bags up this way." She ran up to the house with the dog at her heels, leaving him to manage their luggage. Cursing under his breath he halted at the door when someone cleared their throat behind him.

"Edward Elric, I remember you."

Ed dropped the bags, his mouth hanging open in surprise.

"You!" He pointed at her incredibly.

While her name evaded him he recognized her at once. The old woman had been at his mother's funeral. Strange, when he thought of it that way he seemed to remember there being a blonde little girl that came with her. Edward suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Precisely why he hated Resembool in the first place, too many memories too close to the surface.

Winry peaked her head out the front door as they continued to stare each other down.

"You two know each other?" She asked curiously.

The old woman pulled the pipe from her mouth looking a amused. "Still a little short for your age, huh Edward?"

Edward bristled at the comment. "Who are you calling short ya old hag?!"

"Ed! That's my grandma!" Winry reprimanded him.

Winry's grandmother just laughed, "No need to get excited, this is Hohenheim's boy." She eyed her granddaughter from behind her glasses, "I'm surprised you don't remember. You two were practically inseparable when you were little."

Edward exchanged a glance with Winry. Is that why she seemed so familiar to him?

"What?" Winry asked in disbelief.

"Who else could perform automail surgery in this town? Not to mention that his father and I are old drinking buddies."

"You-? He what?" Ed sputtered, gaping at Winry’s granny.

His bastard of a father never mentioned knowing a Rockbell! _Not like he had held a conversation long enough to find out_ , but still.

Winry glared at the little woman."Grandma how come you never said anything when I told you who I was bringing home?" 

"Winry dear, I thought you knew." She said sweetly, a devious smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Winry shook her head looking a bit awstruck. "Right, guess we better get our stuff inside. Ed?" Winry asked as she held the door open for him.

Ed froze, when they made it up to her room his eyes widening. Maybe it was a product of spending too much time with his fraternity brothers or maybe his mind had been in the gutter since the beginning of this trip.

"Ed?"

He forced himself to think of his dad and Winry's grandmother drinking together. That definitely drove away the embarrassment of having to explain why he found standing in her room very, very intriguing.

"So, should I drop my bags here?"

Winry rolled her eyes, "Not a chance." She pointed across the hall to a guest room.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he still did the math an calculated just how close they would be to one another. He was not going to survive this weekend.

To his astonishment Ed found he actually grew accustomed to the place quickly It was effortless being with Winry and amusing to fall into a carefree banter with her gran. Not to mention that he felt very amendable after tasting some home cooked food. He hadn’t had a Thanksgiving dinner like that since-well ever. Feeling bloated and content he and Winry had settled on the front porch swing.

"Ah." He exclaimed leaning back. "That was one for the books."

"You’re just sucking up so you don’t have to go back in and do dishes." Winry protested his compliment.

"Try microwave dinners for the past ten years and then you'll understand."

He watched her toy with the hem of her pretty white dress. "Will you come for a walk with me?" She proposed, a faraway look in her eyes.

Glancing down at his stomach he grinned, "I think it's digested enough for movement."

There was a look in her eyes that kept him from asking where they were going. The mixture of sadness and yearning gave her away, even if the fall flowers she stopped to pick along the way didn't do it. When they reached the gates to the cemetery, he had already prepared himself.

This was one of the reasons why he didn't like being in Resembool, just seeing the marker brought forth feelings he usually kept bottled away.

"You can stay out here if you want." She stared at the vacant hill and the grave markers that dotted its side.

She was a brave girl. "My mother's buried here.”

Winry frowned, “I’m sorry Ed, I didn’t even think about that.”

“Don’t be, I just…I haven't been here since her funeral." He admitted reluctantly.

She took a few steps forward, her bangs shadowing her face. "I understand. I'll just be a minute then."

Winry looked like she pitied him and he didn’t want that either. “Then you won't mind if I join you?"

She let out a sigh of gratitude, "I'd like that."

When at last they reached a set of identical Tombstones he watched her step forward and kneel between them. "Happy Thanksgiving."

Winry placed some flowers on each of their graves before handing him the last couple. He knew that look and he hated that even with him standing there she could still have it.

Edward hated when Winry cried and it seemed that he was awfully good at making her do it.

There was something decidedly wrong and painful about watching someone so lovely look so forlorn. Switching the flowers to his automail hand, he reached out to hold her hand in his real one. He didn’t about the tightness of her grip.

Then he saw it, the thing that had sparked her tears. Only a couple of markers down from Winry's parents sat a familiar headstone. The sight made the lump in his throat unavoidable, his hand subconsciously squeezing hers back just as hard.

Reluctantly he let her hand go as he stooped to place the last of the flowers in front of the aged marker. "Do you think they knew each other?"

"If gran drank with your dad, I'm sure they did." Winry shrugged.

There was something that had been bugging him, "I don't see how we could have known each other."

They began to walk back in the direction of her house. "It was a long time ago Ed, we probably just don't remember."

The words were out before he had a chance to reel them back in. "But its you. How could I…"

He watched her consider his words, the silence making his anxiety grow. Had he just blown his cover?

Instead of looking freaked out or disturbed by his proclamation she just gloated. "Well it looks like we picked up right where we left off huh? I guess good friends really are for life."

He laughed nervously, thinking he was off the hook for the moment. "Yeah right, you only like me because of my automail."

"You forgot the car, I like the car too." She teased him.

Without really thinking it through a question suddenly came to him. "How old were you when they passed away?"

Seeing her smile falter he groaned, “Shit, sorry you don’t have to answer that.”

Winry brushed a lock of hair away from her face. "No, its okay. I was eight years old when they left for the war.”

“So it was just you and your gran?”

She nodded, “My parents should have come home but they continued to stay and help the Ishval people long after they were told to evacuate. They promised they would come home." She stopped talking and really looked at him. "Seems stupid now, but for a long time I hated them for breaking their promise to me."

He was terrible at comforting people so he offered her his hand. "I'm sorry Win, you don't have to tell me all this."

"No." She squeezed his hand back and didn’t let go even after the moment had passed. "It's nice to have someone who understands."

When they got back it looked like Gran had gone up to bed, but those dishes unfortunately were still there. He was about to come up with a lame excuse to get out of them when he noticed Winry still in the hallway, her eyes fixated on something. Turning around, he noticed a cork board full of pictures hanging on the wall. His mouth went dry at the photo in the dead center. There she was, Trisha Elric, her kind brown eyes so full of a life Ed could hardly remember. The picture had both his brother and father in it, but seeing his mother again was harder than he thought. His father had put away her pictures after some time and after moving to the city they had disappeared altogether.

"She was beautiful." Winry commented softly.

He nodded his head, unable to speak for the moment.

"I'll start the dishes." Winry touched his shoulder gently before leaving and giving him space.

But it wasn't just that picture that had him rooted to the spot. There were other pictures, Winry as a little girl, Winry and her parents, and then there was a picture that made even his ears turn pink. So the old hag hadn't been lying. Al was leaning against the base of a large oak tree, Ed and Winry sitting on a lower branch. Winry might have been looking at the camera but there he was, staring blindly at her.

_Go figure._

Looking around for prying eyes he quickly grabbed the photo and stuffed it into his pocket. Honestly, he wasn’t sure what motivated him to do it. Maybe he was afraid Winry might look too much into the way he was staring in that photo or maybe he just liked the idea that they had history together. Either way he hoped the old lady wouldn't notice it was gone.

Edward never thought he'd actually miss Resembool, but after spending the weekend at the Rockbell house he knew he was going to. He might even miss the old lady. As they began to drive away early in the morning after saying their goodbyes he nearly drove off the road when he felt Winry kiss his cheek.

Slamming on the brakes he gaped open mouthed at her. "What was that for?"

Winry smiled happily, "Thanks for everything this weekend."

Edward turned back to the road ahead of them, trying to play off what he was trying not to overthink. "Maybe next time warn a guy."

**(Gracia)**

It took a few phone calls and a little help from her mom's recipe book, but it was done. Standing back from her hard work she beamed triumphantly at the sight. The small turkey looked great and all the side dishes had turned out perfectly. Riza finished placing a salad with sliced cucumbers, tomatoes and carrots on top.

"Think they'll like it?" Gracia asked expectantly.

"I knew there were intruders, no one cooks in this place." Roy grinned at the two of them as he peaked his head into the kitchen.

Gracia looked over Roy's shoulder as Maes joined them a moment later. As soon as his eyes took in the Thanksgiving feast they had concocted, the tired expression on his face waned.

"You two are incredible." Maes exclaimed in awe.

Of course, their meal had not gone unnoticed, but Gracia had made more than enough. Breda, Fuery, Falman, and even Havoc showed up. While they all began to sit around the table, Maes offered a toast. "To my lovely Gracia for this wonderful meal!" He expressed fervently.

Her cheeks felt hot as she looked around at the boy’s heartfelt thanks echoed around the table. "I couldn't have done it without Riza." She admitted modestly.

Riza shook her head, "Nonsense, I just helped cut up some stuff for the salad. Besides it was your idea to make a Thanksgiving dinner since all of us are stuck here for the holiday."

"Let's eat!" Breda whined, his eyes glued to the bowl of mashed potatoes in front of him.

Maes grabbed her hand under the table, his eyes twinkling. "Have I told you how much I love you?"

"Yes, but you can keep saying it."

His grin widened as he leaned in to kiss her lightly on the cheek.

"Aw come on guys, not at the table!" Havoc moaned. A green bean flew across the table hitting Maes in the head.

"Hey!" Hughes laughed loudly as a few other pieces of food got thrown his way.

Breda held up his hands between them, looking visibly concerned for the well-being of his meal. "Leave the food out of this!"

No one left the table hungry and after several complimentary belches from her favorite boys Gracia felt satisfied that her first attempt at preparing a Thanksgiving meal had gone well.

"You did good." Roy patted her on the back before retreating to the living room where the TV blasted the details of a football game.

Unexpectedly, Riza was yelling just as loud as the boys were. It was clear their team had just scored a touchdown without even having to watch the screen.

As she began to clear the dishes from the dining room, Gracia felt hands sneak around her waist and pull her close.

"That better be you Maes." She chuckled, putting the dishes back down.

"Why? Is it not me sometimes?" He asked pretending to be hurt.

She slapped him playfully.

"I'll totem Fuery and Havoc to do the dishes. Can I steal you for the night?" He asked huskily in her ear.

Turning in his embrace she kissed him on the lips, letting the warm sensation complete her night. "You had me at the dishes." She whispered seductively.

Gracia followed a grinning Maes Hughes as he led the way up to his room. To say she thought the night would end with cuddling would be a lie. Despite her earlier attempt at seducing him and failing, she had a feeling tonight would be different. He laid her down on his bed, propping himself over her with his arms. "I love you Gracia, you know that right?"

“I know.” She wrapped her arms around him, her hands flattening over his back.

He groaned softly as she pulled him closer. "Are you sure?" He asked softly.

"You're the one I want Maes, you’re all I’ll ever want." She could only hold out a little bit longer before the urge to jump him took over.

Without preamble he began to push his shirt up over his head, allowing her hands to help him out. Maes had never been a muscle man but the sight of him shirtless made her heart pound faster in her chest.

"What?" He asked with a bemused smile on his face.

Running her hands down his chest, Gracia’s nerves calmed at the sight of his kind eyes. "I don't think we should wait anymore."

The corner of his eyes crinkled as he grinned, "Took the words right out of my mouth."

She had been tired from running, tired from work and school, but this…this was a completely different kind of tired. There were sore places on her body even she didn't know existed. But the calm feeling that had settled between them was of such a sincerity that she figured maybe she finally understood. To be with someone both physically and emotionally like this, it pretty much sealed the deal.

"Best Thanksgiving ever." Maes kissed her before closing his eyes.

Gracia smiled back her agreement as she laid down against his chest. She listened to his heartbeat slow, her own eyelids sliding shut.

**(Riza)**

Riza didn't consider herself a prude; not when it came to Roy. It would probably shock the hell out of their friends to know she had a different side besides her stern and practical nature. But even she couldn't help but stop and stare.

Roy stood next to her, their eyes locked on Hughes bedroom door. "Does this mean I won the bet?"

"I didn't think he had it in him." Riza pondered. She had bet that they wouldn't make it official until they were married. But from their current standpoint it was pretty obvious what was going on.

Wrinkling her nose Riza shot Roy a look over her shoulder as they kept walking down the hall. "Are we that loud?" She asked fearing the worst.

"Louder." Havoc answered as he breezed by towards his room at the end of the hallway.

Riza narrowed her eyes. "President Mustang, do I have permission to castrate one of your subordinates?"

Roy smirked, "I like it when you call me President. But no, I will handle this myself!"

Havoc gave a middle finger before laughing and slamming his door shut.

Roy winked at Riza. “Last time he got snarky with me I put all of his underwear in the freezer. What do you say we brainstorm some new ideas?”

Riza grinned and mock saluted him. “Yes sir.”

**(Zolf Kimbley)**

Kimbley staggered outside, his eyes unfocused as he felt his way through the dark. The terrible memory surged past the alcohol in his system. Forcing him to recall things he wanted to forget.

" _Why did you want to meet me up here?" Jerso asked._

_If word got out what he and his fraternity brothers had done to those girls, he would lose everything. His career as a politician would be done before it even began. He needed to gain his power back; he needed to have the upper hand._

_"You threatened my life; I thought I would exchange the favor."_

_Jerso's face paled as he saw the gun in his hands. "Easy man, you don't want to do this."_

Kimbley clutched at his head, the memories flashing through his head. Grabbing the bottle he downed what was left.

_Yes, you should be scared he thought viciously. "I don't want to do anything, I need to do this." Kimbley spat out._

_Jerso backed up towards the edge, his gaze flickering between the gun and the edge. "Zolf, this isn't you."_

" _Weren't you just threatening me about that little incident from two years ago? This is exactly what I need to be doing." There was a certain amount of satisfaction that came from watching the guy lose it._

" _Please man, don't do this."_

_He was about to say something else to push the guys buttons when suddenly Jerso made a lunge at the gun in his hands. Twisting around, he pushed his elbow out, firmly planting his feet. Jerso fumbled for a second, his hands no longer fighting but grasping for him. Kimbley's mouth opened in horror as Jerso's body arched over the edge, his bulging eyes transmitting a final plea. He remained frozen in place as he watched Jerso disappear over the edge._

_The gun felt heavy in his hands as it dawned on him what had happened. He wanted to threaten the guy, make him scared enough to keep his mouth shut, wield him to see things his way…not kill him. The threat was there, but he had never meant to carry it out._

His mind kept reliving that single memory, over and over again. Kimbley lined up his gun with the empty fifth and fired, the glass shattering on impact. He fired several more times, his target already gone but his need still great. Something had been brewing inside him, something that wanted out.

Something had broken loose and now he knew that meant the dark days were far from over.

 


	15. Fairy tale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every good fairy tale needs a villain.

**(Miles)**

There are those days when everything just fits, you catch the winning pass and you kiss the girl of your dreams. Then there are days like today, days when you can't remember if there was ever a time when things went right. Practice had been the worst the team had seen all season. It had been decided that he would take Olivier's spot as quarterback, but her reaction had him second guessing his choice to accept it.

Wiping his face with a clean towel Miles headed back to his locker. The sound of raised voices coming from behind the coaches closed door stopped him in his tracks. It didn't matter how close he was, it would have been impossible to miss the heated debate going on inside. From his standpoint, Miles could clearly make out Olivier's demanding voice overpower the swearing antics of the old coach. Buccaneer shot him a knowing look, which he cowardly shook off, not wanting to discuss this unpleasant downturn of events. His relationship with Olivier, on and off the field, was supposed to be completely separate, but unfortunately it looked like they were headed for a collision.

His gaze trained on the door, waiting for her exit and hoping to ease her stress. When at last the door flew open Miles watched her stormy figure pause under his stare. Olivier's eyes set ablaze as she slammed the door behind her, making a beeline for the girl's locker room. Catching her off guard, Miles barely managed to grab her arm in his haste to halt her.

"Don't you dare touch me." She responded coldly, her tone low enough for their transaction to remain discreet.

Staring blankly down the hallway he watched her figure stalk out of his sight. A feeling of dread swept down over his shoulders as he began to put away his practice gear; hyper aware of all the eyes on his back. He thought back to their freshmen year when they had promised each other they would be irreplaceable members to the team. They wouldn't let anyone treat them for what they were but for what they could do. Olivier was determined to prove a female could command the sport while he had never quite escaped the stigma of looking like an Ishvalan. No matter what it took, they vowed to push each other to the top. Funny how childish it all sounded in his head. Honestly, Miles had been happy for her when she had done it, he had been attracted to her strength and leadership.

As his teammates began to pour out of the building he fought with the prideful voice that kept nagging at him. It snidely reminded him that this was his time, not hers. She had her moment of glory, now it was his. Olivier was supposed to be happy for him.

Throwing his helmet against the locker he watched it roll uselessly across the floor. All the anger and frustration flooded him as he held his head in his hands, banging his forehead against his locker. He exhaled in exasperation. "Dammit Olivier."

He wanted, no, needed to talk to her.

The next days practice was a miserable shit show that thoroughly convinced him there was something wrong. The tension between him and Olivier had stretched out from their reach and had now fallen upon the team as a whole. Practice had gone from bad to worse. He had really jinxed himself for calling Olivier's distracted practice the day before the worst he had ever seen. Now it seemed the tables had turned and this time they were both playing like garbage. He could feel her eyes on him, but that judging gaze had rendered him useless on the field, his confidence crippled at his feet. The worst part had been her silence; he was used to her barking out orders, challenging his every move, but to be so quiet? The silence sank so much deeper than any harsh words she could have said.

After a brutal and unrewarding practice he was left sitting in the Coach's office, watching as the old man's vein pulsed menacingly at his temple. But this was nothing compared the awful wrath he had felt radiating off Olivier as they had walked off the field.

"I'm going to be frank with you Miles, you played like shit today." The coach barked shamelessly.

It was a true statement, but disappointing to hear aloud none the less. A knock sounded on the door behind him, temporarily relieving him from the verbal abuse he was likely to endure.

Olivier's head poked in. "You wanted to see me coach?" Her eyes widened temporarily at the sight of him already occupying the space.

Standing up, his Coach paced the small space. "Sit down Armstrong."

She obliged obediently, avoiding the penetrating stare Miles was purposely directing her way.

Slamming his palms on his desk their coach quickly drew their attention. He faced them with a look that would make most men quake in their boots, but Miles could tell Olivier was far from fazed and neither was he. "I don't know what is going on between you two-"

"Sir I-"Miles began to try to defend any accusation right there.

"And I don't want to know." He stressed loudly. "But whatever it is, it ends here you understand?"

"Understood." Olivier answered.

Miles flinched at how quickly Olivier accepted this. He followed with a more sluggish. "Yes sir."

"Good, now get the hell out of my office before I have an aneurism."

Positive the beautiful Armstrong was going to evade him yet again, Miles yanked her arm, pulling her with him by force. She let out an indignant cry.

"Who do you think you are?" Olivier spat the words out at him like poison.

He pulled her into the first aid room and shut the door firmly behind them. "Who do you think you are?" He fired back, no anger in his voice, just exhaustion.

"You've ruined everything!" She accused him, poking a finger at his chest. "Look at us? Look at what this is doing to us!"

Not wanting to follow where this was headed he waited till her guard was down before he strode forward and kissed her harshly on the mouth. There was something very enjoyable about shutting her up that way. She started to squirm but he grasped her shoulders to keep her where she stood. He felt her muscles relax and the passion that had run through her angered veins began to switch to an alternate current.

Their bodies moved quickly, the switch of the lock on the door a mere second of motion before they were entwined. There were a lot of things left unsaid, but with her hands on his chest he couldn't remember a thing. The physicality of playing football had drilled his body into reaction, not thought. Now the only thing he knew was that he wanted to be with her, no matter the cost.

He bent forward and kissed her naked shoulder before picking up his last article of clothing and pulling his shirt back over his head.

"I'm still mad at you for taking my spot." She finally spoke, the earlier aggression absent.

"And I'm still upset that you can't just be happy for me." He answered truthfully.

They didn't need to say anything but he knew this shaky truce wasn't a good place to stay. "Are you still going to come out to lunch with me before the game?" He asked thinking she might possibly reject him.

"Better be somewhere nice." She grumbled before kissing him hard on the mouth and leaving him standing alone in the first aid room, wondering if just possibly he had imagined the whole thing.

With her being so busy with planning the charity ball and football they hadn't had time to really talk since their meeting in the first aid room. He had taken her request to heart, and was hell bent on fixing the rift that had carelessly formed between them.

The quiet conversations floated around the classy restaurant, the dim lighting setting a romantic atmosphere. As uncomfortable as he had felt about coming here it had only gotten worse with time. Miles sat alone at the table he had put on reserve, his eyes on the empty glass in front of him. She was over an hour late and so far none of his calls had reached her. Feeling a little foolish in the fancy place he stored his pride and asked for a check, the bottle of expensive wine taking a bite out of his wallet. It was a long way home and for the first time he really felt alone. Tugging down his tie he felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment as he walked shame faced from the place.

Cab fee was more than he was willing to spend as he thought about the disaster of a night. He was never one to submit to anger but the distance might help him walk off the temptation. She had agreed just the other day, did she change her mind? His blood ran cold, had something happened to her? Pulling out his cell he kept hitting redial, the idea of being stood up more appealing than the alternative. Turning on to Greek row he froze as her name lit up his phone screen.

"Olivier." He breathed as if his world had found its balance once again.

"This better be important Miles, I've got a ball to orchestrate and a sorority to run before I head up to the stadium for the game tonight." She reprimanded him as if  _he_  had done something wrong.

His lips pressed against one another as he mulled over her words. It was hard to forgive the annoyance in her tone but he managed to push it away. Fixing the earlier panic from his voice he tried to explain himself without accusing her. "I wasn't aware that our lunch was cancelled."

He could hear Olivier's impatience in her punctuated words. "Lunch? Listen Miles I don't have time for this, I'll see you tonight."

"Olivier…" Her temperament was nothing new, but with everything they had overcome recently he thought maybe she might hear him out. It felt like he was the only one who wanted to be in this together anymore. "Wish you would have called instead of standing me up."

"Don't be dramatic Miles just because I didn't answer your fifty calls doesn't mean I stood you up." She protested haughtily.

Miles frowned, the blow striking harder than he thought. "No you are right; not answering my calls doesn't mean you stood me up, but not showing up is."

This time he knew she was being selfish. "Listen I don't want to fight with you, not before the game."

Feeling suddenly spiteful he ground his teeth together. "You don't want to spend time with me, you don't want me to play quarterback, what the hell do you want form me?!"

The words stung worse out loud, but there was no turning back now.

On any other occasion he might have marveled at his ability to finally stun Olivier into silence, but this wasn't what he had envisioned. No longer did he want to keep fighting alone.

"I know what I am and I know what I'm not. I'll do us both a favor and end this before you kill what little friendship is left between us now." He admitted more to himself despite his words traveling between them.

The line went dead before he closed his phone. The rage beneath his skin burned like a dull itch. Football season was almost over and from the looks of it they would be too.

**(Edward)**

Central University was the largest University in Amestris, but he wasn't dumb enough to believe that word wouldn't spread like wildfire. He was going to have to explain himself, but he wasn't really sure how to explain something he wasn't entirely aware of either.

Just what had been the outcome of his trip home with Winry was debatable, a debate his brothers had taken up with wild enthusiasm.

He was beginning to feel like a broken record as they repeatedly questioned why he would choose to spend the holiday with a girl's family.

"Yes, I willingly went home with Winry she-"

Havoc's mouth dropped open, his loud voice interrupting before he could finish his explanation. "Hold up, did you knock her up?"

Breda spit out the beer in his mouth, the can in his hand dropping to the floor. "What?"

Roy patted him on the back, "Don't waste good beer on this one Heymans, I don't believe our Fullmetal has ever even gotten laid."

Ed glared at Roy for that last comment before addressing Havoc's rumor inducing mouth. He couldn't decide what was worse, Havoc insinuating the only reason Winry would invite him for Thanksgiving was because she was knocked up or that Roy thought he couldn't get laid. Roy might have hit the nail on the head, but like hell he was going to admit to his brothers that he had never gotten that far with a girl.

"She needed a ride, so I drove her." He admitted without disclosing the reason why he had been all too happy to oblige.

Denny shook his head from his position on the floor of the living room, "Tough break Ed looks like you're in the friend zone now."

Ed figured Denny must be thinking about himself and that girl Maria Ross. "But we are friends." He protested.

Roy crossed the room, loftily putting his arm around Ed's shoulders. "Little brother you don't want to be in the friend zone. The friend zone is the place of no return."

"Pft, you're one to talk." Ed scoffed, suddenly conscious that he was no longer denying being in the friend zone.

"You and Riza were good friends and now look at the two of you, soul mates!" Maes contradicted with a bemused grin.

Falman jerked up out of his sleep, his eyes half shut. "Tell me that was you Maes and not-"

"Brothers!" Alex exclaimed as he joined them, his magnanimous presence suffocating. Any time a conversation turned towards love and soul mates you were bound to run into Maes or Armstrong.

"Oh no." Falman rolled over on the floor, burying himself in the pillow he had been dozing off against.

In an attempt to raise more money towards Jerso's favorite charity they were going to auction themselves off, donating the proceeds. But Alex Armstrong was another story entirely. The large man was already shirtless, the slight gleam radiating off his muscles making everyone in the room cringe.

"We must prepare our bodies for the auction. To the gym!" The large man boasted happily.

Some of the brothers looked towards Roy to stop the madness, but Roy was looking like a smug toad.

"Looks like some of you better get working out. Not everyone can look as good in a swim suit as I can. Especially those of us who don't even have the balls to ask a girl out."

Ed glared at Roy before managing to duck out the back door of the house before Armstrong could take notice. There was something he needed to do.

Walking to his car Ed let his mind wander to a familiar face. Ever since driving back from Resembool he was reeling with indecision. The way he felt about Winry was caught somewhere between not wanting to lose her as a friend and confessing his attraction. He wasn't looking for a relationship, but he was a guy, a guy with needs and his body was telling him this was a need he could _satisfy_.

Holy hell.

There was no way he was going to be able to watch Winry lean over him during lab or have her in his dorm room studying, there was no way he was going to be able to pretend he didn't feel different than he had before. The basic motions of their friendship were going to be challenging to maintain if he couldn't stifle all of his current thoughts.

Edward decided on visiting his brother in the city since his father had gone out of town for business. Walking through the front door he began to frown. Something was definitely different about the place. Trying to pin point it Edward felt a tickling in his nose. Resisting the urge to sneeze he looked around the ostentatious space.

"Al?" He called out.

"Uh, just a minute." Alphonse's voice squeaked.

His suspicions began to rise. "Dammit Al, why does this place look like a tornado touched down?"

Ed stepped over a few displaced magazines lying haphazardly in the hallway. Making his way back towards his brothers’ room he ignored Alphone’s rather pathetic plea to wait another second.

No. His brother was up to something and he was going to get to the bottom of it.

He didn't bother knocking before throwing the bedroom door wide open.

There is a code among brothers, knowledge of young adolescent boys that slipped his mind, but boy did it come back tenfold as a girl shrieked and his brother lunged for the door. Embarrassment would have been a proper reaction if he hadn't identified the girl right away.

His stomach lurched as he stared wide eyed. "Winry?"

Her expression was furious, his eyes hawkish. "Ed you idiot! Didn't you hear what your brother said?"

Al pushed him aside and bolted out the door. Reeling in confusion he stared blankly in front of him not fully processing the situation. This was like some kind of weird twilight zone moment, one he wished sincerely was the twilight zone and he could just as easily slip back into reality.

"Cut him off in the living room!" Al yelled back towards the spot where Ed was still standing horrorstruck.

"Cut him off? Cut who off?" Ed asked bewildered at what was happening around him.

Winry sighed, the anger dissipating. "He told you to wait, we almost had Sebastian when  _you_  ignored his warning and barged through the damn door!"

Just as Ed was piecing together who was this Sebastian the tiny culprit came tearing around the corner, its little legs running furiously as it escaped Al's outstretched hands.

"Al!" he yelled in warning.

Al scrambled to his feet, already taking chase again. "He's just a little baby Ed; he needed a place to stay." He gasped between lunges.

Ed didn't even attempt to help, he pointed at the furry ball as it whizzed by again. "That is not a baby, _that_ is a wild animal."

"It's not like you're here anyways, why do you care?" Al dissented, his small hint of anger an immediate sign of worry for the older brother.

Come to think of it, with the tutor and all meals brought in, Alphonse was really kind of stuck there. With his friends all back home in Resembool he probably didn’t have many visitors.

An excited squeal temporarily broke him away from guilt-ridden thoughts.

"I got him!" Winry exclaimed triumphantly.

"Why are you even here?" Ed asked, his discomfort for the situation switching his mood to a reflexive defensive.

She ignored him and stroked the kitten's fur with her index finger.

"I invited her." Al answered sheepishly.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" Ed protested, looking around the room. "And didn't dad hire a maid for this place anyways?"

"Was there even a reason you stopped by?" Al countered, the hurt etched in his face.

Fighting with Al was not why he had come. "Do I need a reason to check up on my little brother?"

Winry excused herself at that moment, mentioning something about feeding Sebastian before flashing him a warning look.

"Sorry." Al admitted, his face crestfallen. "I know we aren't supposed to have pets, but it's been so lonely up here and then I needed someone to get it food and I don't know anyone but you and dad really and then I remembered Winry and I called her and she came over-"

Ed held up his hand, cutting off his little brother’s rant. "You need to get better first Al."

Al nervously fiddled with the blanket on the back of the couch, "But I already feel better. I don’t understand why I can’t go back to school."

"Don't you have a tutor who comes here?"

There was a silence in which Ed could hear Winry cooing at the furry leech in the kitchen.

"I know and I’ve been working hard to catch up. Mr. Smith says I’m at a 12th grade level."

Ed scoffed, "You're not ready for that, you've never even been to high school."

It was immediately apparent that his younger brother wasn’t neccesarily looking for advice.

"I've already tested into 12th grade and the school year has just begun, I've really only missed three months and I learn fast!"

To a stranger it might seem weird that his younger brother was asking his permission to go to school. But for as much as Al did still count Hohenheim as their father, Ed knew that their bond as brothers was a lot closer than that of their father. Al continued as if he knew that Ed were about to cut him down again.

"You've got all your friends and a whole new life at Central University. Won’t you help me convince father to let me go?"

He had no answer for that one. It occurred to him that his brother wasn't so little anymore, he was a teenager who had been numb to this world for long enough.

"I think it's a great idea." Winry interjected her eyes kind as she joined them again.

She sat down next to Al, placing the sleeping kitty onto his lap.

"Look at him.” She cooed again. “He drank the entire bottle of formula and now he's out cold. No wonder you like him Al, he's just like Ed. All you have to do is fill his stomach and then he's putty in your hands!"

Ed bristled at the remark, but found that watching his brother and Winry laugh like old friends was far too comforting to ruin the moment.

"If you’re going to start school you’ll need to have Dad do the paperwork and then you’ll need a driver to take you there-" His words were cut off as Al embraced him tightly, cat and all.

"Woo hoo!"

“Don’t thank me yet.” He could feel his face burn at the look Winry was suddenly directing at him. “You still need Dad to sign off.”

Turns out Hohenheim was a complete pushover so Ed decided to complain about his brother smelling like cat to escape the embrace, but it was hard to stifle the widening grin on his face.

**(Riza)**

Riza knew she needed her game face for this one. Just seeing all the boys bickering as they walked around in swimwear was enough to make even the most vigilantly respectful spectator lose it. Snickering from behind her hand, she felt justified at the reddening cheeks of some of the guys. It was nice to have the tables turned, to have them be put in the light where people ogled at them like eye candy.

Riza became distracted as some of the Tri Pi girls threw suggestive remarks their way without any regard for their character, only vulgar and lude comments that made even her hair curl.

Ok, so maybe the boys didn't have a problem with that.

Havoc seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself as a few cat calls were thrown his way. Rebecca seemed to have taken a possessive stance on Jean as she grabbed Riza’s hand. She looked like she was attempting to be discreet but she spoke loud enough for the cat calling girl to hear.

"What a shame he has gonorrhea, and such a nice body too."

Riza’s eyes widened and then narrowed.

The little brunette looked a little pale and when Havoc sent her a flirtatious grin she looked pointedly in another direction.

"You're evil." Riza condemned her best friend.

Rebecca shrugged, "For all I know it could be true."

"Unhuh and since when have you become the moral police of campus? Or is there something going on between you and Havoc that you're not telling me."

Rolling her eyes, Rebecca smiled as Havoc stood dumbstruck at the girl now treating him like the plague. "Just keeping my options open."

"When does this actually start?" Maria asked from her seat next to Winry. The two pledges got along pretty well. Riza privately thought it might have something to do with the fact that both Denny and Ed were pledge brothers. The two had common ground in the whole 'just friends' denial boat.

For now, the boys had just been walking around the stage in their swimwear, including those who had no business in a speedo.

"It should have started about five minutes ago." Olivier added promptly, her eyes cast straightforward without seeing.

Riza shifted uncomfortably at the dead tone to her friend's voice. This was a charity date auction with the boys of BTA; it was supposed to be a good time.

The loss of their most recent football game must be weighing heavily on her. Times like these she would have banked on Gracia to help sort her out, but that was another lost cause. Gracia was currently staring at the half naked version of her fiancé with a look that made Riza almost reach for a napkin to catch the drool from spilling down her chin.

Rebecca thankfully had caught on quick. "And I thought they were bad before." She complained as they watched Maes grin lopsided right back at Gracia, his brothers having to wave a hand in front of his face to get him backstage.

"Was it really that good?" Rebecca asked without any restraint.

Gracia turned beat red, the smile that widened across her face saying it all.

"I don’t kiss and tell." Gracia admonished her sorority sister looking embarrassed, but pleased none the less.

Riza grinned, she remembered her first time. Always the perfectionist she had approached the idea of being with Roy like that all wrong. It wasn't until she began to let go that she began to realize its full potential. Maes and Gracia were going to be unbearable when they learned that the first time wasn't the best time.

The date auction had the traditional bathing suit walk followed by a formal wear poise before the girls could bid on their man. Riza had already saved as much as she could for the occasion, but looking at the Tri Pi's she was suddenly a little worried. She was confidant in her own worth to know she didn't need to pay for his company, but what if someone outbid her?

It was probably wise to keep reminding herself that this was for charity.

It was, as she had expected, a good night. Breda had taken the cake with his performance in a speedo; a show you would have to go brain dead before you'd forget. Maes had put off any bids on his name by the way he kept winking at Gracia and calling out to her. Surprisingly, Armstrong managed to keep his bidders upping the ante as he continued to flex his muscles and put all the people in the room to shame. Olivier shrunk in her seat in embarrassment while her brother Alex made a brotherly bid of affection towards her. When a Tri Pi screamed in pleasure at finally securing him as her date for the ball Riza couldn't stifle the snort that escaped her mouth. Alex was about as straight as a winding river.

Her body went rigid as Roy made his debut, ignoring the knowing looks from her sisters as she promptly placed her bid. Riza recognized the girl who continued to match her bid as the new president of Alpha Zeta. Sammie, Suzy, something like that.

Standing up in her seat Riza threw her hand up, “one hundred dollars.”

Everyone had gotten their choice, even shy Shieska had managed to speak out long enough to snag Fuery so it felt safe to think she would get hers. Riza was about to count the event as a perfect success until she noticed someone still anxiously awaiting the last brother to be auctioned off.

Winry had her hands clasped together tightly in her lap, her lips in a straight, thin line.

Riza began to worry as Ed walked out and the remaining Tri Pi's left in the room began to mutter something about his rich dad. Suzy was the first to bid making heads turn in her direction. Ed thankfully had the dignity to blush scarlet and turn his pleading stare to Winry. Winry held her own until the numbers went beyond $100. Her expression looked a little defeated as Suzy proudly threw out a bid of $200.

"$1,000." Olivier held her hand up lazily as the crowd murmured in awe.

Alex held his chest, "Oh the charity of my noble sister!"

Ed looked like he wanted to faint and Winry seemed to deflate a little, her weary smile weak as she tried to clap for her sister.

"Relax." Olivier said in a monotone, "That puny boy is for you, not me."

Winry was beaming, “But what about you Olivier?”

Olivier shrugged, her tone wistful and far away. "There's only one man out there who is worth my time and he's long gone."

The sisters watched in surprise as the cleared her throat, avoiding all of their stares. "I'll see you girls back at the house." Her words trembled but her face remained stony.

**(Ed)**

It didn’t take a genius to know that Winry was a very pretty girl, any one with eyes and a brain could tell you that. His views of her must have been greatly distorted before because this version of her was stunning. Pretty just didn’t seem to suit her anymore and he was feeling incredibly out of balance as she came out the front door and waved at him. What had happened to his pretty little mechanic?

It had somehow turned into a fairytale costume ball and to fit the theme Winry was dressed as Cinderella, but he was not a hundred percent sure how she got him to agree to dress as a prince…tights and all.

Walking up to the front porch he smoothed his hands against his pants, wiping away the sweat from his palms as he nervously approached her. Trying to cover up his self-consciousness about the whole thing he smirked at her.

"Excited to go with the highest bided man?"

The roll of her eyes softened his nerves as she moved through the motions of their friendship.

"I thought you were supposed to be prince charming?" She said matter-of-factly.

"Is that so? I only agreed because I get to wear a sword. Did your fairy godmother tell you to be home by midnight?" He asked jokingly.

Winry tapped her chin thoughtfully before grinning at him, "Unless your car is a pumpkin, I think we should be ok." Then her smile disappeared and she moved close enough that he could feel her breath tickling his chin.

"Winry?" He choked out.

She didn't look him in the eyes but let her hands slide down inside his jacket as she pulled the ascot part of his costume out.

"You did it all wrong." She admonished him before setting out to make it right.

As her hands toyed with his neckline he found himself taking measured breaths in her stead. No one ever tells you that it's impossible to just be friends with a girl without somehow crossing this no man's land of what if. Winry had tricked him with her good sense of humor and kind nature, but at the end of the day she couldn't just be a friend.

"There." She smiled appreciatively at her work. "Now we can go."

The ball was in full swing by the time they arrived, letting them slip into the crowd unnoticed. He was not alone in his discomfort of costume either. Several other guys had been submitted to the drudgery of having to adorn tights and leggings. No maneuvering of his hips was going to be enough to release the tight pressure on his groin.

Mustang caught him off guard as he arrived dressed as a secret agent, Riza in a slick red dress by his side. _What kind of fairy tale was that from?_!

"Looking good Fullmetal." His big brother remarked in passing.

Winry grabbed his bicep to keep him from tackling his fraternity brother.

"Bastard." He mumbled under his breath.

Finding a table they sat awkwardly next to one another, Ed fishing for some useless small talk while he noticed her eyes flickering towards the dance floor. For being a self-proclaimed genius, he wasn't sure how he could have overlooked the fact that dances involved dancing. The longing look didn't detach from her face as she continued to nod her head in passing agreement to whatever he said.

Edward was viscerally aware that there was a lot riding on this one night as he tapped his metal digits against the table. He heard his brother's warnings in his head, if he failed to impress her tonight he would forever be her friend and nothing more. At some point that would have been ok, but not now, not after he had begun to think of her as something more. Mustering up some courage he started to ask her to dance when something else entirely flooded out of his mouth. "I'm going to get a drink, you want one?"

She peeled her gaze away from the crowd and shrugged her shoulders. "Sure, why not." She sighed and slumped in her chair as she turned back towards the people having a great time on the dance floor.

Pouring two cups of punch he sulked for a moment as he tried to figure out how to undo this hole he had dug himself into.

Havoc approached him dressed in an old fashioned suit, animal like ears sitting on his head. "How are things with that sweet little blond of yours?"

Ed shot him a warning look.

"Easy there champ!" Havoc put up his hands in defense. "Just wanted to make sure you don't blow it."

That sure took the wind out of his sails. He hung his head miserably. "Too late."

Havoc raised his eyebrows, peering around a couple grinding in front of them to catch a glimpse of what he assumed was Winry from this distance. "Looks like she wants to dance."

"I know." He moaned bitterly.

Jean laughed loudly, "So ask her to dance, no easier way to score with the ladies than by showing them you can move your hips." He thrust his pelvis out to prove his point as he sent a look across the refreshment table towards a tipsy looking Tinkerbelle.

"If I wanted relationship advice, no offense, but your one of the last people I'd ask."

"None taken." Jean replied in good spirits as the pixie girl smiled back at him.

Ed glanced over as the girl stumbled and waved at him, her slurred hello not attractive in the least. "You can't be serious."

Havoc shrugged his shoulders. "Nah just a little flirting. I don't like em wasted, horrible in bed ya know? Besides-" He pointed over to where Rebecca was wearing an elegant looking yellow dress. "I didn't dress up as the beast to miss out on beauty over there."

Maybe it was confidence he lacked, or maybe he just didn't think on the same perverted wavelength as most of his brothers. Either way he knew he needed to do a lot better than what he had been doing if he was going to win over a girl like Winry.

"Listen man, I'll tell you something." Havoc glanced over at Winry, his attitude turning serious. "I don't usually say this but for a girl like her you just need to be yourself. The more you worry about saying or doing the wrong thing, the more likely you are to do it. She likes you kid, she wouldn't be here with you if she didn't."

Havoc patted him on the back before sauntering over to where Rebecca was dancing. Edward stood with his mouth hanging slightly ajar. That was probably the best advice he was likely to get from Jean Havoc.

He could just be himself, right? That shouldn't be too hard.

**(Winry)**

Considering the fact that her date for the night was Edward she had been so excited. Now it was all she could do to not sigh dramatically every few seconds. The dance floor was full of happy couples and people just having fun, and here she was sitting at a table while Ed scoffed down half the snack buffet. Every time she tried to mention dancing he simple shoved another piece of food into his mouth shrugging his shoulders as he failed to make room for speech.

Exasperated with his antics Winry could feel the heat rise to her cheeks as she stood up swiftly, the chair skidding out behind her. Pointing her finger at him in accusation she narrowed her eyes, "If you won't dance with me then I'll find someone who will!"

Winry immediately regretted her loud outburst as Zolf Kimbley appeared at her side.

"Looking for a dance partner?" He asked, smiling kindly at her.

Taking back her words now seemed kind of foolish and embarrassing. She shot a look at Ed, praying that he might understand her predicament and offer to dance with her himself.

Why she thought he might be able to pick up on her hints she couldn't explain.

Kimbley waited expectantly and she tried to rationalize that one dance couldn't be so bad.

"I'll save the next dance for you Ed." She tried out, hoping he might still grasp her reasoning but he simply stared, the food visible in his mouth as it hung open.

After waiting all night to dance Winry suddenly wished she were back at the table watching Ed stuff his face.

Zolf preferred to dance close, his hands roaming around her curves and making her extremely uncomfortable. Trying to put some space between them she occasionally twirled out or sidestepped his needy grasp, but the crowded space tended to push her right back into his arms. Exhausted by what a dismal night it was turning out to be she remembered the drink Edward had brought her and thought perhaps it might serve as a good excuse.

Touching his shoulder, she cringed at having to lean in to him so he could hear her. "I'm going to get something to drink."

The tension rose in her shoulders as he placed his palm against the dip in her back following right behind her.

"Let me." He insisted.

Left alone for a moment, Winry maneuvered her way back to where Edward had been sitting. "Idiot." She muttered as the table sat deserted. She had been counting on finding him there and banking on the idea that she 'owed' him a dance. As Kimbley began to make his way over she figured that at least sitting next to the guy was better than having to put up with his dancing.

Conversation was polite but she couldn't help but wonder why he had taken a sudden interest in her. Trying to avoid talking much she began to down the drink he had placed in front of her. She wasn't in the mood to have a heart to heart.

Zolf leaned across the table, his weight shifting forward. "You know, I am still rather hurt that you never had lunch with me.". His hands ghosted over hers as he smiled widely. "But I'm sure you can find a way to make it up to me."

Winry shivered slightly under his stare, the sudden chill a little unnerving. Then she was back to feeling angry. Angry that Zolf was being too forward and angry that Edward had left her. It was a fairy tale ball for heaven's sake, where the hell was her prince charming?

"Hmm." She answered, without really answering. Funny, her drink tasted just like the fruit punch she had had earlier but she was feeling kind of sleepy.

"Did someone spike the punch?" She wondered out loud, laughing at the idea.

Kimbley sipped his before shaking his head, "Doesn't taste like it." He took her glass and sniffed it. "Doesn't smell like it either. Why, does yours taste funny?"

Maybe the week really had tired her out more than she thought.

"Want to go grab some fresh air?" He offered sweetly.

Winry cast a look around the ballroom wondering where Ed was. Sighing she rubbed her temples, "I guess so."

**(Olivier)**

Olivier stared at her reflection in the mirror, immediately hating the version of herself that stared back. It took a hell of a lot to beat her, but she had done a good job of it all on her own. Somehow things had taken a turn for the worse and now she had lost her teammate, boyfriend but most importantly, her best friend. The only remedy she could find was to completely submerge herself in work.

Forcing herself to return to the dance she walked about the room making sure refreshments had been replenished and the ballots for fairy tale king and queen were being taken correctly. In another attempt to help raise money the boys from Alpha Mu had decided to open up the idea of being a King and Queen for the night. Voters had to pay $1 but with over 800 guests, unlimited number of votes and the funds from the BTA date auction, they were well above their fundraising goal.

Olivier noticed Winry sitting next to Edward, looking towards the dance floor expectantly. Christ, that boy was too oblivious sometimes. Rarely did she ask for help, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

"Alex!" She barked at her brother.

"Yes dear sister?" he brightened at her attention.

"I need a favor."

**(Kimbley)**

Holding his palm to the middle of her back he guided her around the ballroom, his senses flooding with stimulation at the sight of so many innocent people. Did they realize how close they were to the man responsible for Jerso's death? Perhaps attending this was a form of repentance, a way of showing he would help contribute to a charity in honor of Jersos death or maybe he was just there because as IFC president he had to be. Ironic that only in fairytales does a wolf hide in sheep's clothing.

Kimbley aided the beautiful girl through the crowd and away from the building itself. The small park in front of the student center allowed them a short walk before they came across a bench. He guided her down slowly before taking a seat beside her.

The drug must be taking its affect by now. It wasn’t as if this was the first time he had ever used one. But the fact that she was still able to walk excited him, she was a lot stronger than most girls. Winry Rockbell was a challenge and he knew plucking this flower would help to stifle the desires that had begun to build since watching Jerso slip over that edge.

"I've got something special planned for you." He spoke softly as he traced his fingers from her cheek down her neck.

Her head rolled back as he watched her strain to keep her bearings.

"What's happening?" She mumbled against his shoulder as her body began to slump. "Edward?"

It was hard to tell if she thought he was Edward or if she was merely calling for him. He continued as if he had never heard her.

"You're a hardworking girl, a committed and dedicated girl in a man's' field. I can appreciate someone like you." He brought her face up to his and went in for a taste, savoring the absurdly weak attempts on her part to push him away.

"Ah!" he jolted backwards as her teeth sunk into his lip. Clutching her head in his hands he held her in place as he began to grin at the blood now smeared on her lips. "Not afraid to get a little dirty are we?"

When her eyes began to drift shut he pulled her close to him, bending slightly to whisper in her ear. "You can't be afraid to get your hands dirty if you want to succeed in this life."

He wasn’t sure what he wanted from her, but he knew time would reveal itself to him.

**(Rose)**

Rose rubbed Leto's back soothingly as they stood out on the balcony for some air. Looking over the railing she exhaled loudly.

"You could have just told me you had a cold, really, I wouldn't have made you come with me tonight."

Another series of vicious coughs racked through the man's body before he could answer her. "Events like these are rare. Who knows when I'll ever be able to take you to a dance again?"

"You're more of a drama queen than I am!" She laughed, "Listen, how about we go home and I'll make you some soup."

His shoulders went rigid. "No."

Feeling irritated she put her hands on her hips. "What do you mean no? You're sick and waiting around here isn't going to make you feel any better let's just-"

She cut herself off at the excruciatingly painful look on his face. "Leto?"

Something was definitely wrong, his body was shaking.

His hands griped at the railing. "This isn’t the type of sick that some stupid fucking soup will help okay?"

"What are you talking about?"

The man looked years beyond his age as he narrowed his eyes at her. "I was doing just fine before you came into my life. I’m fucking dying and there is nothing that you or any doctor can do about it. Do you understand what Im saying?"

More confused than ever she glared at him. "Don't joke about something like that." She spoke hollowly, the carefree atmosphere of the ball wilting in her mind. God, were there tears in his eyes?

"I've been sick for a long time."

The scales of the world which had briefly tipped back in her favor now seemed to crash to the floor. Rose didn’t think he was joking around anymore.

"Why didn't you tell me before? How could you have waited until now?"

His voice sounded strained. "I didn't lie to you."

"Yeah well you sure as hell didn't tell the truth." She replied back with an anger that only served to mask her terror at the thought of someone else dying.

"Yeah?" He replied, his own temper rising against hers. "I was fine before you came along. I was ready to die and then you come along and ruin everything! I could have left with no regrets and now every time I see your face I see everything I'll never have! I see a future that won’t ever come."

Rose felt the breath rush out of her as they stared at one another. If she hadn't run into his embrace she might have noticed her roommate down below being led out into the darkness of the night.

**(Gracia)**

It had been a terrible idea for them to go as Peter Pan and Wendy. Gracia couldn't stop staring at her fiancé whose tights and rather form fitting outfit made it far too easy to imagine what was underneath. It wasn't just her either; he seemed to soak up the idea of her wearing a nightgown. They were acting like newlyweds and they weren't even married yet!

Thank goodness for Olivier and her rather clever plan. It had been relatively easy to coerce her sisters while Maes convinced his brothers into voting for two specific people. With both Alex and Olivier's vast wealth at their disposal the fundraising goal had long since been passed and there was no doubt who had won king and queen. Happy to be able to make herself useful instead of ogling Maes, she stepped up to the mike with the results in her hands.

The crowd quieted upon hearing her tap the mike in checking. Feeling elated she held up the envelope, "The results are in!"

The massive amount of guests cheered her on, a few of them exchanging knowing looks as they tried to figure out who had won.

"The fairy tale ball King is-" She opened the envelope trying to force her face into surprise. "Edward Elric of Beta Tau Alpha!"

The crowd looked around as several BTA brothers pushed and coaxed Ed up onto to the stage. She almost felt sorry for him as he blushed several shades of red, looking extremely shocked. He might be a little embarrassed now, but she knew he would be grateful soon enough. "And the Fairy tale Queen is…Winry Rockbell from Kappa Delta!"

It was cute the way Ed perked up at her name, suddenly grinning like a man who had won the lottery.

Gracia looked around the room, but there was no sign of her sister.

Frowning she tried again, "Winry, come on up here."

The crowd began to murmur as they searched the room. Gracia covered the mike turning her glare on Edward, "Where is she?"

Ed paled, "She was just dancing a few seconds ago."

Olivier narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Wasn't she  _your_  date Edward?"

Rebecca joined them a few seconds later, "She's not in the bathroom or in the hallway. I don't think she's here."

Gracia fumbled with the mike for a few more minutes trying to delay but there was no sign of the girl. Trying to convince herself that Winry must have just gone home she tried to pretend like everything was ok.

"Looks like our Cinderella had to leave, if someone finds her shoe will you please return it." She added humorously to the delight of the audience before stepping offstage.

Ed was off the stage in seconds, furiously scanning the room. "That fucking bastard!"

Gracia watched as Olivier grabbed his shoulders roughly, "Who was with her?"

The dressed-up prince charming swore as he threw the crown off his head. "Zolf Kimbley."

**(Winry)**

Something had gone wrong; this was not where she was supposed to be. Winry had been drunk before, but this wasn't a hangover and she had only had punch. Her body began to shake as she felt the bindings on her wrists and ankles. Trying not to panic she squirmed in the chair, her skin rubbing raw as she fought her restraints.

"Hello?" She asked timidly, her fear getting the better of her.

Her breath came in out in short gasps as she looked searchingly around the empty basement. "Is anyone out there?" She screamed, her mouth parched.

The once sky-blue dress looked like it had been dragged through hell and back. Her heart pounded so loudly in her ears that she almost missed the sound of footsteps approaching through the dark. Things clicked into place when she stared into his blank expression.

"Shh." He ripped a piece of duct tape and slapped it to her mouth before she could protest. "Can't have you spilling my secrets, right?"

Her tears began to fall in earnest as he stroked her hair.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head." He kissed the duct tape covering her lips, "I never meant to kill him, it was only an accident. It was only an accident...only an accident...only an accident."

Winry watched on in horror as he continued to repeat the phrase like a mantra. A mantra of a crazed man, the mantra of a killer.

 


	16. Just Breathe

**(Kimbley)**

The sleeping girl next to him groaned slightly as she changed positions, her head snuggling against him. He watched her with growing amusement. For having put such little thought into this plan, it was going exceedingly well. Her ousted position in Alpha Zeta as well as her pride would keep her right where he wanted her.

She was a very intricate part of all this and to think it had all been by accident.

Noa moaned again, her eyes flickering open long enough to focus on him. The small curl of her lips and the shift in her position as she dragged a finger lazily along his chest sealed the deal. An act of mutual benefits and now they were both satisfied. It was safe to assume she had been far too out of it the night before to realize just what was happening around her. He had taken special to care to ensure that this night went off without a hitch. Having been seen in public with Winry linked him to her case, but Noa was the exception, she was the catalyst that would keep him free to finish what he had started.

He halted her hand, bringing her fingers up to his mouth as he rested his lips against each one. She shivered and cuddled closer, her chest rising and falling faster than before. How easy to bestow affection on such a lonely girl.

Afraid of having to actually have a conversation he rolled on top of her and began where they had left off the night before. Her ecstasy hit its peak before him, but he wasn't surprised, it took a different kind of feeling to propel him to the top. She cried out his name loud enough that one of his brothers in the room next to his pounded against the wall in retaliation, an indignant rant still discernable through the divide of wood and plaster of a wall.

"That was amazing." She deflated against him, her chin resting on his chest as their breathing returned to normal.

He would count on Noa's vanity to prevail and boast him into a comfortable position of safety. It wouldn't take much to persuade her that they had met up in the garden and Winry had foolishly followed him thinking he had feelings for her. Noa would agree with him that Winry had stormed off and left them to their own devices.

He thought about Winry sitting there in that dark basement.

It should have bothered him to watch as her petals wilted, but he still needed her, needed her in ways he knew no one else would understand. With Winry he could be himself, he could show her what he was truly capable of. For the first time in his life he felt free.

One of his fraternity brothers knocked loudly on his door.

"Hey Kimbley, you better come down here man."

"This better be important." Noa whined as he rolled out of bed leaving her behind. He couldn't help but admire her from afar.

"Don't go anywhere." He ordered her even though he knew she would obey without hesitation.

She propped herself up on her elbow watching as he grabbed his clothes.

"Believe me, I won't."

He made sure to leave the door open wide enough that his fraternity brother Envy could see. The man raised his eyebrows but proceeded to give him a calculated look.

"What in the hell did you do last night?" He lowered his voice, "The police are at the front door waiting for you." He glanced back at Zolf's open door, licking his lips with a grin. "Want me to keep her company while you're gone?"

Kimbley could only muster a smirk in response. Following his brother down the steps he watched as the two officers standing there perked up at the sight of him, their eyes full of questions he would be only too happy to answer.

"Zolf Kimbley?" The taller of the two asked him.

"You found him."

The second one addressed him slowly as if weighing his response. "My name is Officer Taylor and this is Officer Kent. We're going to need you to come down to the station for questioning."

"What's this all about?" He asked innocently.

"We’ll discuss that at the station."

Kimbley nodded in compliance, "Of course." Turning over his shoulder he looked back at Envy who was shamelessly eavesdropping. "Mind telling Noa to wait a little bit longer for me?"

Envy lifted his brow, "Whatever you say."

He smiled back at the officers feeling superior. Zolf was looking forward to reaping the benefits of his little plan.

"Let's make this quick, don't want to keep my girl waiting."

Kimbley had to bite his tongue, he had almost said Winry’s name. It was becoming too easy, he was going to need to be a bit more careful.

Once at the police station he sat comfortably in the old metal chair feeling incredibly powerful. Knowledge, specific knowledge was right within their grasps, but he would enjoy watching them scuttle around the truth. It was liberating.

"Listen I was trying to be nice and offer her a dance. Then she went and followed Noa and I out to the park. Once we got her to bug off, we went back my fraternity house."

He leaned back in his chair and smirked. "If you want to know what I spent the rest of my night and this morning doing you should call her up. Or better yet, why not drop me off at my place and I'll go grab her out of my room so you can talk to her yourself."

"Watch it kid." The larger and more intimidating Officer Kent warned him. "This is serious business; we have a young girl missing."

Kimbley raised his brow, "Then why are you wasting time interrogating me?"

Before the first Officer could react the second intervened.

"Let's get that girl in here; you said her name was Noa?" Officer Taylor questioned, his position a little more relaxed than that of his partner.

Oh yes, by the time they were done with Noa he would have had ample time to place certain items where they needed to go. Details were crucial and the execution of them was undeniable. It was only a matter of time before their predatory eyes left his and found a new target.

**(Edward)**

Forty-nine hours and three minutes since he had first walked into the police station and demanded that they look for Winry. Forty-nine hours and three minutes since Winry Rockbell had gone missing. His head felt greasy and heavy as he listened intently on the conversation happening just around the corner.

Leaning forward, he rested his elbows on his knees dropping his head into his hands. The pea green walls of the police station made his stomach feel even queasier than it had before he arrived. He was feeling anxious and jittery, that fourth cup of coffee only exaggerating it. Not to mention what that was doing to his stomach, which hadn't been filled with food in quite some time. Trying to eat anything with this terrible guilt weighing on him was impossible. But none of that was a priority while Winry was gone.

Feeling his eyelids droop he frowned and drained yet another glass of black coffee; courtesy of the police station.

"No, she wouldn't do that." Rose answered through a series of hiccups as she calmed down from crying.

The detective’s tone didn't change. "She was last seen in the company of Zolf Kimbley, were you aware of any relationship between them?"

There was a long silence in which Ed felt himself holding his breath.

"No." She sniffled again. "Winry would never go home with a guy she barely knew. Even if she was that type of girl, that's not the guy she would have gone with. Anyone will tell you she liked Edward, the same guy who has been sitting here in this police station telling you for two days that something is wrong!"

The man cleared his throat, "Department policy ma'am, we must wait at least 48 hours before filing out a missing person's case."

Ed lifted his head out of his hands, whatever else they were saying had fallen on deaf ears. He thought of Winry's face as she promised him a dance, a dance she never came back for. If he had just danced with her, if he had stuck by her side, would it have changed things?

"Mr. Elric, we're ready for you."

Ed turned his head towards the officer who was already heading back to his desk. The younger looking officer put his hand out, gesturing towards the chair opposite his.

"Edward Elric?"

They had been over his story a million times, but to hell if they were doing anything about it.

"Yes." He replied darkly.

"It says here that Winry was your date the night she went missing?"

Yup, the same repetitive bullshit that was getting them nowhere. Ed nodded his head once.

"And you say that a Zolf Kimbley asked her to dance and that was the last you saw of her?"

Just the name of the bastard sent him reeling.

"Yes." He replied sharply.

The officer raised his brow, his pen pausing on the pad of paper in front of him. "Are you aware of any relationship between Miss Rockbell and Zolf Kimbley?"

It irked him the way the officer stared him down as if he were the bad guy.

"Don't you have security footage showing who left out of that building? There is no way you could have missed that pretentious bastard in a white tux!"

Edward didn't particularly care that the cop looked incredibly annoyed or that his mouth turned down in displeasure. Until Winry was safe he didn't care what they thought, he was going to do whatever it took to get her back. And while sitting there had been the textbook answer of the right thing to do, he certainly didn't feel that way.

"If you have any further information that will actually  _help_  with our case, I am all ears, if not then I believe we are done here." The officer admitted, his patience clearly run out.

The warning in the man's eyes halted Ed from fighting back, even though he would like nothing more than to pummel the guy. Before he could even mouth back all eyes trained to the commotion at the front of the station.

Two officers were hauling in a man who was struggling wildly against their restraining arms. The declaration of the man echoed riotously around the place as he searched for someone who might actually be listening to him.

"I'm telling you, you've got the wrong man!" He pleaded, his voice cracking in clear despair.

Something about this man drew him in, something familiar he couldn't quite put his finger on. There was the shaggy hair, the tattooed arms and hands that looked like they had more grease caked under the nails than one might find in an old rag at a mechanics shop. That's when it hit him.

"Sam?" He wondered aloud. It was no longer a question as he drew closer; there could be no doubt that this was Winry's coworker from Tony's garage.

Sam turned towards the familiar face, his expression haunted. "Someone's framed me! I would never hurt Rocky, never!" He turned back over his shoulder staring Ed down. "You've got to believe me! Whoever took her still might have her, you have to keep looking!"

The blood pulsed loudly at his temples as he watched them drag him away, his resistance only adding fuel to the fire. Sam and the owner of the shop were the only people Ed knew that called Winry 'Rocky'. It wasn't that he had known Sam all that well, he just knew him well enough to know that he couldn’t have done something like this. To be fair he didn’t know what to imagine in the first place. What had happened to her?

No matter, he was still juiced up from the coffee and finding Winry was his main objective. She had become his best friend and while he was beginning to feel something else, it only strengthened his resolve.

**(Sam)**

Sam hung his head miserably as he sat in the small interrogation room. From what he gathered his explanation was being ignored; it appeared they had already made their own judgment call. A part of him, whether born from lack of sleep or fear, reminded him that until they found a body, he was safe from the crimes they were accusing him of. He swallowed hard, how could anyone harm that little lady?

The balding gentlemen slid the bag across the table so that it drew his attention. Inside was a delicate looking shoe, its exterior stained with red. "Mind telling me how a bloody shoe like this turned up in your car?"

When the officer continued to stare him down, he held his hand up over his mouth, trying to push away the disturbing image in his head.

"Jesus.” He felt bile rise up in his throat as his voice cracked. “Tell me it’s not hers." He asked in horror.

"Why don't you tell me." The officer deferred, his stare calculated and calm.

"You can’t-" He was fed up with trying to defend himself, especially when he was being treated like a murderer. "I loved that girl like she was my own little sister, I would never hurt her."

The poised man pulled out another evidence bag and placed it right next to the one containing the shoe. "So, a shoe with her blood on it and this University ID depicting one Winry Rockbell has nothing to do with you?"

The handcuff metal cut into his wrist but he didn't notice the pain. "Like I said, I was at the shop the whole night. Tony lets me sleep in the office if I need to get a rush order job done."

The man drummed his fingers lazily against the table. "And you were the only one there?"

"Yes." He admitted feeling frazzled. Sam was finding it hard to think coherently when he looked at the poor girl's shoe. He had grown up in the slums of Central; he didn't want to think of what might have happened to the sweet country girl.

"Winry's been busy with sorority stuff so I've had to pick up some of her work lately."

"How convenient."

Sam failed to see any kind of logic in the man's argument. "Convenient? How the hell is any of this convenient?"

"A nice girl starts working alongside you, but a pretty girl like her wants nothing to do with someone like you. So, you wait until a night when no one else is working to lure her back to the shop, only she didn't cooperate, things got messy."

"Shut up!" Sam snarled out, his hands shaking in anger.

"Oh?" The officer raised his brow, "Says here you have quite the backstory, seems your little sister died by the hands of your own father? I have it here that you were the one who fought him off of her, but it was too late. My, she looks an awful lot like our young Miss Rockbell. Like father like son huh?"

He was a reasonable guy, troubled past, but he had fought his way back to being human again. But the picture of his little sister stirred up emotions he hadn't felt in years. A fierce and loathsome man took over him as he leapt across the table and pounded the man to the floor. He was vaguely aware of the man's startled yelp or the Taser to his side. All he knew was that he was being dragged away, dragged away for a crime he never committed.

He had already paid for his mistakes and now he was about to pay for someone else's.

**(Winry)**

The sound of the florescent light blinking brought her back to consciousness as she struggled to blink the sleep from her eyes. Nothing had changed, nothing except for the extreme pain radiating from her stiff body and the undeniable hunger that drained her senses. Winry knew she had pushed her luck, but he had been stupid and she was determined. She had managed to lock herself in the bathroom, but his wrath had won out and now he had been starving her, no food, water or bathroom since.

How many days had it been since she was first brought there? Two, three, four? Who could tell with the flickering fluorescent light as the only thing keeping her company? She only knew it had been one day since her attempt to fight him and now she was beginning to lose it.

Lifting her head up she tried to envision her escape, the tug of her muscles ripping through the rope, the force of her legs as she ran out of the room and up the stairs. She would shove through the door, knocking it down with sheer will power.

An insurgence of anger powered through her as she screamed against the duct tape, her limbs fighting and grinding against their restraints. It didn't take long for her exhaustion to cut through any type of resistance.

She had been excited to come to Central to see the city lights and study at a real University. Now she felt like a stupid little girl, how did she get herself into such a mess.

She was reminded of something her grandmother had once told her as a little girl. 'Your parents will always live; they live because you are here to carry on their memory'.

Maybe her grandmother had said it because she truly believed it or maybe she just wanted her to stop crying. Whatever the reason Winry had used it steel her resolve and push her through the tough times. And yet here she was, like a fish caught in a net, struggling to just stay alive. She had to be stronger than this, she had to fight.

It all came back to the man who had brought her here, the man who until the dance she had thought harmless. She might have found herself in quite the predicament but it wasn't because she was dumb. It was obvious now who had killed Jerso and he never needed to admit a thing. Her chest began to rise and fall rapidly as panic built up once again. There was a dangerous churning in her stomach as he the idea of what had actually happened the night Jerso had died.

The sound of the door opening at the far end of the room filled her with dread. A voice trickled through the silence, against the white noise around her.

"Winry." It cooed gently as if to coax an animal from its hiding. Kimbley walked up to her and held out a glass of water to her.

He crouched down in front of her, holding the glass tauntingly in front of her.

"Now I’ve been kind enough to let you use the bathroom and eat until you pulled that little stunt of yours. If I pull off the tape for you to drink this, are you going to behave?"

What a proposition, as if she could even begin to refuse something like that. Somehow, she doubted he would listen to what she actually wanted, but she was too tired to attempt at fighting him. Nodding her head slowly she had only a second of time before he ripped the strip off her mouth. A low whimper escaped her as she clutched her fists tightly through the pain.

When he poured the water down her throat she nearly gagged at the sensation, her body struggling against it. Coughing hard, she leaned forward for more but knew with a heavy heart that he was only going to give her enough to keep her alive.

"Why are you doing this?" She whispered in a rasped voice.

He set the glass down on the ground, reaching up to stroke her cheek with the back of his hand. "I’ll be honest, I’ve always had a thing for strong women."

She felt disgusting and dirty at his touch as she sat brokenly in the chair she was tied to. Her hair hung limply around her, the curls long gone and her makeup ruined from the tears. "How does this make you happy?" She asked in true wonder.

Kimbley gripped the top of her thighs as he moved closer, his face hovering in front of hers. "I killed a man Winry. You are the only one I can share that with. You are the only one I can trust."

If she wasn't horrified by the idea that he was admittedly a murderer she would have scoffed at that.

"If you trusted me, you wouldn't have me tied up and hidden down here." She retorted.

He seemed amused by that. "I have admired this spirit of yours ever since I laid eyes on you Winry Rockbell. You are just like your parents."

Winry sucked in a deep breath, her heart hammering in her chest.

Zolf cocked his head to the side as if analyzing her from a different angle.

"That's right; you didn't know them very well, did you? Shame, I suppose it would be hard for you to remember what they were like. My father told me about what that boy did to them."

"Huh?" Chills racked up and down her spine as she watched the truth in his eyes. "What boy?"

"Oh?" He looked mildly surprised. "That Ishvalan boy killed them, he was never charged either."

"You're lying." Winry knew he was baiting her but those memories of her parents were something no one had a right to slander. "They were killed in the crossfire."

His grip on her thighs held tighter. "Sweet, sweet Winry, is that what the military told you? You should know by now things aren't always what they seem."

Betrayed, hurt, devastated, scared, how could she be feeling so many different things all at once?

"There’s no coming back from this. They are going to lock you up for the rest of your life." She croaked out in revulsion.

He laughed at that, a derisive and manic sort of hysteric that drew Winry back as far as she could away from him.

"I guess you haven’t heard, they already have their suspect in custody. Sam is a troubled young man, it’s no wonder they didn’t lock him up sooner."

"Sam?" She had been so selfish to think that she was in this alone. How many other people had he done this to? Would there be others like her, others like Jerso?

"Yes, Sam is currently in jail, can you believe he attacked an officer? Boy has all the motive in the world for this case I just needed to speed things along with some evidence."

It was eerie how calmly he spoke about all of it. She struggled against her restraints again, reminded that there were people counting on her.

"Oh." He grinned wickedly at her. "I like it when you fight like this." His hands moved down her leg, sliding under her dress.

Closing her eyes, she could feel the hot tears roll down her face.

"Don't touch me." She almost pleaded as she kept her eyes closed.

The thought of actually seeing the pleasure in his face was too much. It was painful and the shame washed over her like a tidal wave crashing against the shore. And when it finally pulled away, she knew it had taken a part of her back out to sea, a part of her she couldn't get back.

"So tense." He sat back on his heels, "You need to learn how to be more open."

Everything had its cost, but she couldn't understand what she had done to deserve this. The tears fell harder as she sucked in a shuddering breath. "Please, just let me go.”

"After all this, why would I go and do something like that?" He asked in a bored tone.

"You're a disgusting pig!" Winry felt vengeful as she spit into his face. She inhaled sharply as he lunged forward and grasped both hands around her neck.

Kimbley’s face twitched as he dropped his hands from her neck leaving her gasping for breath.

“Looks like I’ve let you rile me up." He looked her up and down before grinning wide. "You need to learn to play nice."

Winry hung her head helplessly against the torrent of fear that flooded her. How long was he going to toy with her?

When he was finally gone Winry folded back into the darkness, trying to keep her mind blank. With her head lolling to the side she looked down at the floor, her eyes widening. Like someone had turned on a switch she sat up straighter, the ropes no longer a concern. Feeling defiant and optimistic for the first time she began to rock in her chair. It took a while to build up momentum but eventually she tipped over and smashed the glass cup right under her.

Lying against the floor she strained to hear any kind of noise, any indication that she had been heard. The crash had been loud, though she could imagine that anything would sound incredibly loud after so much silence. When nothing changed, she shifted in the chair, using her fingertips to grasp onto a piece of broken glass. She bit her lip to keep from calling out as she sifted through shards of glass which cut at her feeble fingers as the ropes rubbed against her raw skin.

She managed to pick up one of the bigger pieces, quickly beginning to work away at the fraying fibers of the rope. But with each move she could feel her tired muscles protest; she could only hope her stamina pulled through long enough to see the light of day.

**(Olivier)**

Olivier slid her arms into the tightly fitted leather jacket, pulling her helmet off her desk as she walked out the back door of the house. There was a rage, a familiar surge of emotion that kept her calm amongst the panic. The motorcycle parked out back reflected the dark clouds that hovered above, ready to rain at any second.

"Olivier!"

Slamming the helmet on her head she straddled the bike and put the keys in the ignition.

"Stop!" Gracia begged her, the emotion in her voice wavering on hysterics.

Stop? Stop what? Stop going after the bastard who had her little sister? Stop her from pounding his skull into the ground until he was forced to tell her what he had done to Winry?

"I can't stop now." She replied absently.

About to take off she was stopped again by a truck pulling up the driveway, effectively cutting off her path. The man that jumped out of the driver's seat didn't look too happy with her and she could guess why.

"Olivier? What the hell are you doing?" Miles asked as he strode towards her.

Feeling cornered and betrayed she glared at Gracia as she climbed back off the bike. "You called _him_?"

Gracia wiped her eyes, "I had to." She begged, "We don't even know who has her or what they are capable of! Why can't you just let the police handle this?"

"Because she's my little sister! Do I need any other reason? It's already been three days, if we don't find her now, we might as well dig her grave ourselves!"

Olivier had never heard her own voice sound so haunted.

Gracia gasped, clapping her hand to her mouth as another wave of sobs escaped her.

There was a strong chance they might never find their sister. The police seemed determined to not give them any hope and seeing Gracia in pain only made Olivier's resolve harden.

"Move your truck." She asked Miles stiffly.

Miles crossed his arms, holding his stance. "No."

She was only mildly aware that Gracia had shrunk back into the house, her face cascading with tears. "What are you even doing here Miles?" She asked, unafraid of the venomous way it came out. He had left her and that was all there was to it.

He marched straight up to her and Olivier almost admired that he was probably the only man who would dare.

"Four years, four years with you. What makes you think I could just give it up, even if I wanted to?"

She wasn’t the type to cry but the feeling wouldn’t go away. " _You_  gave up on us Miles."

Olivier had seen Miles frustrated, disappointed, but this defeated man was so far off her radar she was stunned into silence.

"You gave up on us Liv. Don’t put this on me. You're the one who stopped trying. I just stopped fighting for something you didn't want anymore."

There was a lot of you’s in that accusation and each one cut particularly deep through her skin. Miles was so good at speaking truths and these ones ripped her open, pulling at the fragile ties that had held her together.

"Is this the part where you walk away? Because sooner or later everyone does, so I'd rather you did it now while I can still watch you do it."

"No." He crossed the distance between them holding onto her arms. "This is where I stop you from doing something reckless and stupid. This-" He paused for a moment. "… Is where I remind you that this is dangerous and stupid. Don't do this Liv, there are other ways to help her."

Her lower lip trembled with the force of holding it back. "I can't give up on her." Olivier chocked out when she could no longer witness the compassion in his eyes without breaking.

When he wrapped his arms around her, she sank thankfully into his warm embrace.

"You are from one of the most powerful families in Amestris, you can't tell me that running off to confront Kimbley is the best you can think of."

**(Maes)**

Hughes rubbed his hands together, blowing hot air into the cup he had made with his icy palms. The temperature was dropping as the fall weather began to ebb away. He had been crouching behind a rather large and distractingly hideous bush for the past half hour. But what he had just spotted had sent him into investigative mode.

It was on the older part of campus and thus was easily forgotten, but not today. The old dorm building had been condemned in the late eighties and if he was correct in his University history, it was only standing due to budget cuts which had prevented it from being torn down.

"What are you doing in there?" He wondered out loud.

After a late IFC meeting he had gone against his better judgment and followed Kimbley. There had been accusations that he had something to do with Winry's disappearance, but most of those rumors had died when Sam Walton was brought into custody. The guy sure looked like trouble, but Maes wasn't so confident he had any real motive in this case. From Olivier's sources they had found clues that hinted towards his connection to her disappearance but no firm evidence. No Winry.

But there was something about Zolf that Maes didn't trust, a certain overbearing trait that rubbed him the wrong way. He just couldn't believe that this guy had walked away with Winry that night and had ended up with Noa. Hughes wouldn't pretend he knew the guy very well, but he knew him well enough to know that girls like Noa didn't appeal to him. So why now?

He sucked in a breath when at long last Zolf emerged from the building. What had he been doing in a place like that? It was exhilarating to suddenly feel like he had stumbled upon a stray thread, one that could very well unravel this mystery.

In his rush to check out the place he didn't realize that his parked car was clearly visible in the empty lot or that someone might recognize that it was his. For a rather sensible man, calling the police never crossed his mind. He was too busy jumping the fence and maneuvering his way through the weeds and crumbled concrete to actually think things through properly.

It was already pretty late; his watch reminded him with a quick beep as the hand struck the 12. It occurred to him that he might have been waiting for Kimbley to come out for longer than an hour.

There was definitely something in here and he was going to place a bet that it had something to do with Winry. The inside of the dormitory made his stomach roll, the place looked like hell. Ceiling tiles were either covered in mold or broken on the ground while the halls that stretched out from the main entrance were shrouded in darkness. The stairwell to upper levels was physically blocked off by bricks so it left his search to east and west halls. The doors must have been removed, though to what effect he wasn't sure but it did make looking through the place go a lot quicker. His small flashlight attached to his keychain offered little in regards to lighting the place but it was better than nothing.

After checking through the empty dorm rooms, he felt his original enthusiasm start to ebb away as he came up empty handed. There was nothing suspicious; nothing out of the ordinary, in fact there was practically nothing in there to begin with. About to call it quits he froze as the sound of a faint cry reached his ears. Looking around he held his breath; the place was beginning to look a lot creepier the longer he was there. He paused waiting for a sign that he was hearing things. When the silence prevailed, he could have kicked himself, it was late, cold and he was trespassing. Calling it quits he was almost back to the front door when he noticed a door off to the side, a door he hadn't checked. Curiosity getting the better of him he entered the door into a stairwell leading down.

"Hello?" He called out cautiously. "Is anyone down here?"

His pulse sped up as he descended down into the dusty basement. Dust particles hovered in the air as his flashlight illuminated the darker corners of the space. There were old janitorial supplies still leaning against one of the walls along with a mural of the Universities Lion mascot. Sidestepping some of the junk he noticed a trail of footprints expanding from the pile. Shining his light from that point the beam of light wrapped around a closed door. One step turned into three and four, his hand shaking slightly as he grabbed for the door handle and carefully pushed it open. It was too late to back out now, especially when he had already invested so much thought into it.

Thinking too far into things was a hard habit to break. Gracia would be upset that he hadn't called her after the meeting, but his attention was so thoroughly fixated on what Zolf was hiding that it had consumed him as soon as he had chosen to follow the guy.

It was obvious someone had been in here recently, no doubt Kimbley himself. The light in the room flickered off before he could really look around his own dim light from the key ring flashlight was hardly helpful. It took a second but his eyes adjusted once again to the darkness; he knew something was on the floor long before he was close enough to shine light onto it. The fluorescent light made a couple cracking noises before it lit up the space once again.

His eyes bulged in horror as he followed the trail of blood up to the flipped chair and the girl it imprisoned. Things like this didn't happen to real people, he could read about them in a newspaper or watch it on TV but it had never felt real. It was suddenly very hard to breathe.

"Winry?" He managed to gasp as he recognized her amongst the damage. God what had been done to her?

Rushing forward he ignored her unresponsive form and focused instead on untying her. His hands shook so badly it took him several tries to even begin to work at the knots. When at last he was able to loosen them he gently coaxed her feet out and was about to work at her wrists when he noticed the bloodied shard of glass and the deep cut on her arm. Kneeling in her blood he ripped off a piece of her dress and tied it tightly around the wound before wrestling her wrists out of the loosened knots.

Cradling her in his lap he was almost afraid to check for a pulse, but her slowly rising chest renewed his hope. Putting his palm to her cheek he struggled against the nausea it induced to see her so pale and lifeless. So many things began to fall into place, each of them leaving him more confused than the one before. Not only had Zolf taken Winry but he had framed another man, and then there was Jerso…Jesus.

Pulling his phone out of his pocket he wasn't sure if it was shock that clouded his thoughts or old habit, but for whatever reason he wasn't calling 911, he was calling Roy. Just as the other line picked up, he found himself jerking to look over his shoulder as the sound of footsteps echoed right up behind him.

Clutching onto Winry's limp body he barely heard Roy's voice as Kimbley pointed a gun at him.

Roy's voice sounded distant as Maes stared down the barrel of a killer. "Hello? Hughes, hello?"

"Tell Jerso hello for me, will you?" Zolf requested before pulling the trigger.

Hughes dropped the phone to the ground as a shooting pain went right through him, the shot ringing in his ears. He had never been the one to jump into things without thinking; he was a man of facts and figures, a man of reason. But he had been foolish and blind not to see this coming. As the room swam in front of his eyes, he knew all the mistakes he had made had not only cost him, but had cost the girl. Gracia was going to hate him for not saving Winry and of course for not being able to save himself.

**(Roy)**

Roy walked out of the police station, Ed slumping after him.

"Since you're my little brother I'll give it to you this time. You get one bail out of jail free card, but I sure as hell won't ever do it again. Got it?"

"I didn't do anything wrong." The kid protested grumpily.

If that wasn't a guilty statement, he didn't know what was. Turning on his brother he narrowed his eyes. "You were caught going through police files in the middle of the night, wasted too."

Ed was avoiding his gaze. "Yeah, well you left me in there long enough that I'm sober now."

The kid let his emotions overrule any kind of common sense. Roy wasn't about to tell him he could relate.

"You're lucky as hell that they took pity on you. Underage drinking and breaking into police files?" He had a sneaking suspicion that Havoc and Breda had something to do with the being drunk part but the files were undoubtedly an Ed move. His brothers came up with bad ideas to help each other out all the time. Drinking away their problems was usually their first attempt at solving a problem, though it did not yield positive results. He should know he had tried it many times.

"I had to do something."

He stopped walking at that, taking a closer look at Edward. It wasn't that he hadn't seen him before, but maybe he just didn't want to see. Ed looked pretty rough; his slight stagger proved that he wasn't in fact as sober as he claimed.

Roy nodded his head, agreeing whole heartedly. "I know; I want to find your girl just as much as you do."

"She's not my-"

"You’re so fucking dense Fullmetal." He let out a sigh, “Well, did you find anything out?”

Ed bristled at his response before cringing. "Nothing, the police are no closer to finding her than we are. That Sam guy is sticking with his story and I believe him."

They were both in his car before he heard the faint ringing noise of his phone going off. Glancing at the screen he could almost feel the tension rising. Hughes didn't call past midnight unless there was trouble. "What now?"

Either Hughes needed to upgrade his service or he had just butt dialed him. "Hello? Hughes, hello?" He repeated feeling a little aggravated about having to play the role of concerned brother for the night.

"Wha-"

Roy punched Ed in the shoulder to shut him up so he could try to decipher what was being said. Before Ed could retaliate his reaction to the sounds over the phone must have shown on his face. The dial tone echoed in the now silent car as he pulled the phone away from his ear.

"Hughes-" Mustang redialed his number but it went straight to voicemail. Dropping the phone, he just stared.

"Stop it."

Roy turned his gaze to where Ed was shrinking away from him looking ill. "Stop it Mustang." Ed commented louder than before. "You look like someone just died." He managed to choke out.

The boy was waiting for him to say something to confirm that his worst fears hadn’t come true. But how could he lie like that? How could he when he had definitely heard a gunshot.

There were angry tears now running down Fullmetal’s face. "Mustang? You fucking bastard, say something!"

He steeled himself, not giving in to the temptation of fear. "We need to find Maes."

**(Gracia)**

Waiting patiently while the police continued to spin their wheels unsuccessfully over Winry's case was driving her crazy. Gracia eyed Olivier dosing nearby, obviously exhausted mentally and physically over this whole thing, though she was hardly the only one. The living room was filled with the soft ramblings of people on TV and the occasional shifting of the couch as one of her sisters turned over in their sleep. This was one of the things people would never understand about being in a sorority; it truly was a home away from home, a place of consolation and familiarity. No one had really spoken much about why they didn't want to be alone right now, but looking around at all of her sisters it was evident how much they needed and depended on one another.

Looking down at her phone she frowned in worry, Maes was supposed to at least text her when he got out his meeting. Sucking in a startled breath she stared at the time, was it really 1am? There was no way his meeting would have lasted this long. It was probably emotion stirred up by Jerso's death and her sister's disappearance but she couldn't help it, the waterworks began again. Afraid she might wake up one of the girls with her stupid sniffling she grabbed the keys off the counter hoping a drive might settle her down.

It was clearly jacket weather with December right around the corner but she was too busy wiping away tears to even think about it. Shivering she got into her car and began to drive, where exactly she planned on going never really crossed her mind.

The techno jams that rocked her favorite radio station after midnight helped her stay awake as she drove around campus, trying her best to ignore the urge to drive up to the BTA house and confront Maes. She really didn't want to be this clingy and needy girl, but Maes never said he was going to do something without following through. It just didn't make any sense that he couldn't call her after the meeting, but then again maybe his phone died. Whatever the insignificant reason turned out to be she was sure it was nothing to fret over. Calmed down by the darkness of the night and chilled despite her cars heat, she finally turned back around to drive home.

There were things you noticed at night that didn't stick out during the day. Things like back doors to buildings stood out with their security lights, the cracks in signs, and the actual number of parking spots that students claimed during the day seemed to drag on forever. When she started to drive by the closed off part of campus, she barely managed to make the turn in time to circle back around.

There, in a deserted parking lot, was unmistakably her fiancés car.

Pulling up alongside the black Jeep she stared at the Greek letters Beta Tau Alpha on the back, there was no doubt whose car this was. Looking around she wondered why his car would be all the way out here. Outside was just as dead as it had appeared from inside her car.

Instead of trying to call Maes phone for the hundredth time she decided that calling Roy was her next best option.

It barely had a chance to ring before Roy's voice practically shouted her name over the line. "Gracia!"

"Hi Roy, I don't mean to call so late but is Maes at the house? I can't get a hold of him and his car is parked over on the Eastern side of campus."

There was a pause, long enough to make her brain whirl with worse case scenarios. Was it her panic or did Roy sound upset?

"You mean he's not with you?"

Fighting off the alarm that sounded off in her head she composed herself well enough to think properly. "He never came back from his meeting, did he?"

"You said you were on the eastern part of campus?"

"Yes, I-"

"Get back into your car and lock the doors Gracia. We'll be there in a few." Roy ordered sternly.

She had never heard Roy sound so…so scared?

"Roy what's going on?"

"Just stay where you are." This time it wasn't an order, it sounded more like a plea.

When they arrived the first thing Gracia was sure of was that something bad had happened and secondly that Ed smelled like a brewery. She hoped the two were not connected for the kids' sake, though what all this had to do with Maes was still up in the air.

Roy rushed forward and gripped her arms tightly, his eyes searching her body in a way that made her suddenly very self-conscious.

"You're okay, right?"

She eyed them suspiciously. "Tell me what's going on right now you two."

"Call the cops Gracia." He turned towards Ed, "Stay with her until the cops get here."

"Where are you going?" Ed asked sounding annoyed.

Roy sent them both a warning look. "I'm going in, alone."

What a complete macho man thing to say. She was going to protest when he suddenly spoke in a terrible, haunting tone of sadness.

"I heard gunshots Gracia. I don't know if he's in there but I'm pretty sure it was Kimbley I heard over the phone. If more than one of us goes in there it could make it worse, I need to know that you are going to be safe out here. If I let anything happen to you Maes is going to kill me." He added without much humor. "Ed you need to talk to the police, tell them what we think is happening as soon as they get here."

Gracia slumped against her car, holding her hand over her mouth in horror. "Are you sure it was him Roy?"

Breathing out a deep and sorrow filled sigh Roy avoided her eyes. "That's what I'm going to find out."

Ed had been silent for too long, Gracia knew him better than that. When Roy had jumped the fence and walked from sight, she turned to him. "You have a plan don't you."

He nodded curtly as he pulled out his phone. "I'm calling the cops then I'm following that selfish bastard."

Gracia knew she should be running right along with him, but she also knew she couldn't be a burden. Someone had to stay and talk to the police when they arrived and while she had always counted herself as a strong woman, even she knew this wasn't the place to try it out. She watched Ed disappear just as Roy had and found that her hands were shaking.

Jerso, Winry, Maes; her mind listed those names off as if it meant something. She prayed with every fiber of her being that they weren't casualties of this terrifying mystery surrounding them.

**(Kimbley)**

It was adrenaline, a surge of power running through his veins as he held the gun in his hands. There was no hesitance when he pulled the trigger; no fear in this world that could hold him back. Maes, for all the man he was, didn't stand a chance. Kicking Maes out of his way he stooped to push the tangled blond hair out of Winry's face, admiring the marks on her wrists and ankles. Oh she had struggled hard, and that brilliant mind of hers was in rare form. He should have known better than to leave anything within her grasp, it was already too late for her. Now however, he was presented with the added nuisance of trying to explain Maes. Something about the look on Roy Mustangs face made it almost worth telling the truth.

In fact, the look he had imagined on his face was exactly the one he was wearing right now. The one that widened his eyes in the kind of repulsion you expect out of a thriller and a mounting vengeance akin to hate. Standing up slowly he smiled in confusion.

"What brings you here tonight Roy?" He pointed his gun at the man to stop him from running to his friend. Obviously, he had yet to notice the girl he was standing in front of or else he might have done something rash.

"I wouldn't move if I were you." He warned pleasantly as if talking to an old friend.

The muscles along Roy's jaw clenched as his eyes searched the area around them. "What have you done?"

How amusing, he brandished his gun threateningly. "Should you really be the one asking questions?" Mustang, to his credit, didn't falter but he also didn't make another move.

Maes chose that moment to moan, his body twitching slightly.

"Ah! Back from the dead are we Mr. Hughes?" He mocked cynically, "Good, now your friend can actually watch you die!"

Hughes coughed hard, "Winry…"

At first, he foolishly believed Maes was addressing him, but from the way Roy shifted in his stance he knew it had been directed at Mustang. From the looks of it, he wanted to ask why she hadn't spoken or moved the entire time. But in the realm of unanswered questions he knew no one wanted to comment on a possibility that something had been lost forever.

He should have switched his major; psychology was far more entertaining than studying law. Just watching these two men's reactions when under the threat of death was invigorating. What if he pushed the right buttons, could he turn these men into sobbing little girls?

"It should be obvious, there is no helping her now, she's dead." He admitted, though he didn't like the idea that she had died on him already. It took the fun out of all this and it left him with the dilemma of finding a replacement.

**(Edward)**

There had been quite a few times he had been horrified in his life, finding his mother dead and seeing Al so ghostly pale, so close to death it seemed only seconds away. There were things that took his breath away, things like seeing his brother smile again and watching as Winry beamed triumphantly over a new piece of automail. Then there was a moment like this, a specific time when he was sure all the air had disappeared from his lungs and yet he felt heavy with the weight of it.

Stumbling forward into the room, Edward knew what he had heard was true as the unwelcomed image planted itself into his field of vision.

She looked like a rag doll that had been overly abused, with the stitching pulled and the color suffocated and smothered. Her once pretty dress was dirtied and ripped, her sunshine locks dulled into the same quiet silence the rest of her body had fallen. It was a cruel torture to stand statue to this end, the feeling of a hand squeezing around his throat paralyzing him. There was such a short time in which he had grown attached to her and yet he knew that life before and after her would be worlds apart.

His arrival had not gone unnoticed, even if he refused to acknowledge anything other than the slowing of his heart as it hollowed out in pain. As the new attraction to the room he couldn't escape the eyes of the two men standing in the room but he couldn't pull his eyes away long enough to meet them.

A girl whose only dream had been to help those around her was now lying on the dingy floor of a basement in the middle of fucking nowhere. He had always thought it, but now he knew. There was no god.

Roy was shouting something at him but he didn't bother to listen because he was already charging at Kimbley. The gun fired but he didn't feel a thing. He pummeled the man into the ground, he might not be the biggest guy, but a metal punch was worth far more than a flesh. There was another gunshot followed by a searing pain in his shoulder, but it did nothing to stop him. It was only when he heard the sound of police entering that he finally gave up the fight, his fists bloodied and his strength drained.

"On your knees, hands behind your heads!"

Ed dropped to the ground on command noticing for the first time how much blood had pooled around them. A bullet had clearly lodged itself into his automail arm, but the second one sliced right through his shoulder. He wished Winry would sit up and scream at him for damaging her automail.

Someone shouted for a medic and that's when he lost it. The painstaking sobs ripped through his chest, a terrible noise like the cry of a wounded animal. Out of the corner of his eye he watched Zolf being handcuffed, his mouth spreading wide with a sadistic grin. Blood trickled down his chin, his teeth stained crimson as they dragged him away.

"She cried like a little girl. Did you hear me Elric?" He hollered over his shoulder, "Dead, just like her parents."

It takes courage to stand up for what you believe in, to do something you're afraid of, to try something new, but this kind of courage was of a different consistency. It took all the courage he possessed to look over at where the paramedics were working, their bodies shielding Winry from his sight.

Panicked that they might not let him say goodbye he rushed over to them, fighting away the medic that still trailed along after him. She was still wearing her Cinderella dress but unlike her fairy tale predecessor, she was missing both of her shoes. He watched longingly as she lay on the ground, a peaceful expression settled onto her features as if she were asleep. In what felt like an eternity but was mere seconds he decided that he would lie down beside her and refuse to ever leave.

The paramedics visibly relaxed and he was quick to see why. Winry's eyes fluttered open as he gawked in astonishment. He should have known better than to believe Kimbley when he said that she was dead. He ignored the vexed and warning looks the medics shot him as he pushed to her side. "Winry." He spoke in relief.

"Ed?"

"I'm here." He held her cheek in the palm of his hand, the pain in his shoulder numbed by the touch of his skin to hers.

She nodded, the tears already budding in her eyes. "Stay with me."

**(Hohenheim)**

He had spent more time in this particular hospital than he imagined he had at home. Al shifted uncomfortably in the seat next to him, his eyes unfocused as he tapped his feet restlessly.

Unable to stand it any longer he lowered his hand to his son's knee, holding it firm for a moment.

Alphonse’s legs stilled, his expression apologetic, "Sorry."

Hohenheim frowned, unsure of how to comfort his youngest son. "Edward will be alright."

Those eyes, Trisha's eyes stared back at him. "How do you know?"

Smiling he patted his son's knee before folding his hands together in his lap. "Your brother is quite the stubborn one."

"And the others?"

To this he wasn't entirely confident of an answer. "We will just have to hope for the best."

His son looked over to the other side of the waiting room where a dark-haired man paced back and forth and a girl with short, sandy blonde hair sat. Their eyes looked off in different directions but their expressions remained the same. He realized with sympathy that the third victim, Maes Hughes a fraternity brother of his son, was still in surgery.

They reminded him of just how close he had come, once again, to losing his son. Some things never changed and like himself, this time it seemed to be stuck on repeat.

Once again Edward acted on impulse and once again, he wasn't there to stop him. No one would walk out of this unscarred, but he was struck with the possibility that some might not ever walk out of it at all.

Al had fallen asleep long before a doctor finally emerged. "Mr. Hohenheim?"

He pushed aside his nerves. "Yes?"

The doctor motioned him to follow, "You are welcome to check in on your son, everything went well."

Not about to wake his youngest, he made his way towards Edwards's room by himself. Just as he was about to walk in, he paused in the doorway. There, sitting on his sons’ bed was a girl in a hospital gown, her hand covering Edwards. Edward's face was expressionless and Hohenheim knew at once that he was sleeping peacefully, unaware of his visitor. He didn't mean to eavesdrop, but it seemed inevitable.

"You're such an idiot. Always messing up your automail, always putting yourself in danger but..." She scolded. Then she leaned forward and kissed his son's forehead.

Hohenheim felt himself turn red as he witnessed this rather raw show of emotion. She spoke softly but he heard her loud and clear.

"Why did I have to fall in love with such an idiot?"

**(Noa)**

She was a lot of things, but co-conspirator to murder and an abduction? The interrogator continued to ask her questions but she just sat there unable to utilize even the simplest of functions. Her parents had hired a lawyer as soon as she called them from the police station but this man dressed in a snazzy suit and tie did little to comfort her. Obviously, her silence wasn't quite the way they had planned it out but she didn't care.

The questions kept coming and eventually she drew tired of the banter.

"You want to know what I was doing fucking a killer, don't you?"

That sure stunned them into a nice quiet. She thought about how she had planned walking around campus attached to Zolf's arm, and having all eyes turn her way. Her daydream had even gone as far as to witness her entire chapter begging for her return as she emerged triumphantly with the IFC president boasting her back into the only place she belonged.

It was strange but the feeling felt so right that she knew what she was thinking was the absolute truth. The feeling of Zolf's hands on her body was still fresh in her mind, but now the image was screwed up with his hands on the throat of a person, chocking the life out them.

How had she not known? Her head ached with the thought and her stomach rolled.

"I wish he would have killed me."

 


	17. Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If it was shattered than the only thing to do was to clean up the pieces.

**(Gracia)**

It was an upgrade from the waiting room, but the sight of him attached to all those machines wasn't exactly comforting either. To finally lay her eyes on the damage made it real and that alone was terrifying to digest. Gracia sat rigid in the ugly, brown upholstered chair, counting the number of times the monitor beeped next to her. The hand under hers twitched occasionally, but he had yet to open his eyes. The nurse had told her it was perfectly normal for his body to move involuntarily. The nurse had also recommended that she go home and get some sleep, but Gracia was steadfast in wanting to be there when he woke up from surgery.

In all their years together, he always rushed to do what she asked and when he didn't respond she felt disappointed, like he was letting her down.

"Maes?" She counted down the seconds and feeling impatient for him to wake up and assure her he was just fine. "Open your eyes sweetheart."

She knew these things took time, but with everything happening around them, their time seemed so short. "Don't forget what you promised me." Her fingers curled around his limp hand. "Don't make me wait."

She was at the edge of her seat when his eyelids flickered, but that was all it progressed. The moment passed and Gracia was left, once again feeling useless. It really didn't make any sense for her to feel cheated but it seemed unfair that just when she and Maes were putting things back together they were broken back apart. It had been confirmed by the doctor and assured to her by several nurses, but thinking and seeing are two entirely different things. She needed to see it; she needed to hear him tell her that everything was going to be okay.

Slumping over in her chair, she let her head rest against the hospital bed. When you decide to spend the rest of your life with someone, you just can't think about what life would be like without them. God, how she wished she could give blind optimism a chance and continue to picture that fairy tale ending, but seeing him like this gave her pause and that ending a lot farther off than she originally planned it.

She fell asleep before she could really think about a life without Maes Hughes in it.

"Oh my goodness! _My boy!_ " A frantic sounding woman said in a rush.

A deeper and far calmer voice settled the frantic atmosphere. "Mary dear, the doctors said he's going to be just fine."

Who was talking? Gracia shifted out of the uncomfortable position she had fallen asleep in, her neck and back feeling stiff. Opening her eyes, she blinked a few times before she sat up straight.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hughes?" She tried without much avail to smooth her crazed hair down.

Mrs. Hughes cheeks were wet with tears as she practically tackled her. "Gracia!"

Gracia patted her future mother-in-law’s back in comfort as the woman sobbed into her shoulder. When she was finally released from the death grip, Gracia managed to actually stand up to receive a more subdued, but comforting, hug from Mr. Hughes.

"How are you holding up?" He asked, holding her out at arm's length to look her over.

She wasn't quite sure how to answer that in the presence of her fiancés overprotective mother and solemn father. Now was not the time to confess that she had at one point in time thought Maes was going to die. There was no need to worry them with something she had decided was not going to come to fruition.

"I'm alright."

Mrs. Hughes engulfed her into another bone crushing hug. "Oh course you are, such a wonderful girl to have stayed by our son's side this whole time!"

"I'm glad you're here." She replied earnestly. "I wasn't sure if you received the messages I left for you."

Maes mother grew teary eyed again.

"Thank goodness for your message, the hospital didn't call until a few hours after. Arthur and I thought for sure it was one of the boys, they're both stationed at Briggs you know. We never dreamed it would be Maes that was in trouble. I don't know if I could have made it the whole train ride here without knowing if he was going to make it." She dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief.

Mr. Hughes held back as he always did, observing the situation. "That train ride didn't offer much in the way of food. You look like you could use a nice, hot meal Gracia. Why don't you join us for lunch?"

Lunch? Was it already lunchtime? Time was such a relative thing when you're staring at blank hospital walls. She studied Maes's peaceful expression, not wanting to leave his side. But as always Mr. Hughes intuition was spot on, he knew what was best. She really could use a good meal.

"That would be nice." She agreed.

The tomato soup soothed her nerves as it slid down her throat, warming her with each drink. Even though it was cafeteria soup, Gracia was sure had just been poured from a can and warmed on a burner, it still tasted wonderful. She didn't even realize how hungry she was until that first slurp, the liquid burning her tongue a little. Despite her absorption in the consumption of her lunch, Gracia noticed that Mr. Hughes occasionally looked up at her. There was a worry in his eyes, a worry that made her feel childish and small under his gaze. It felt strange to have them direct some of their worry her way, as if she were their own child. His mother's mommy-coddling towards her wasn't something new, but it surprised her to find that as they ate together it actually put her worries at ease. It was fleeting, but she wondered which of his parents Maes would mirror if they ever had children. Okay, maybe she already knew. Maes had a knack for taking after his mother’s eccentricities when it came to something he loved.

"Excuse me."

Looking up from her lunch she sucked in a startled breath at the sight of the nurse who had been tending to Maes. "Yes?" She asked timidly, afraid of what news she might bring.

"He's asking for you."

Gracia clenched her hands over her knees feeling the weight lifting off her burdened heart. Did she dare to hope? "He's awake?"

The nurse smiled, "Yes."

About to rush to his side Gracia faltered looking back at the Hughes. Mr. Hughes put a hand on his wife's shoulder as if to keep her from following. "He's waiting for you dear."

Their kindness wasn't lost on her, but Gracia was suddenly unsure if that was the right thing to do. Maes had been their son long before he had been her fiancé. "But-"

Mrs. Hughes settled against her husband. "Oh sweetie, we'll have our chance. For now, he's asking for you."

Still not convinced Gracia stayed put for a second until both of his parents urged her on.

"Go on!" The both insisted in unison.

Sending them a grateful look Gracia rushed out of the cafeteria, skipping the elevator and charging at the stairs. When at last she reached his room, she found herself breathless with what she might find. Hesitant at first, she took careful steps, afraid this might be a dream as she watched him reach out toward her. But then he spoke and her world seemed to right itself once more.

"Come here beautiful."

Grinning over the tears that spilled down her cheeks Gracia closed the distance between them and embraced Maes in a heap of emotion. Being careful of his recent wound she leaned over and continued to kiss him until at last she had to draw back for breath.

"Maybe I should get shot more often." He chuckled looking thoroughly pleased.

"Oh Maes." She whispered, brushing away the happy tears. "You silly man, I’m not going anywhere. You don't have to be a hero to keep me."

There was a definite pause as if he were stuck on her words. "You think I'm a hero?"

She wondered why he sounded so surprised, did he not know? "You helped save Winry and put that awful man behind bars. Everyone is calling you a hero."

He still didn't sound convinced. "And what do you think?"

She kissed him again, letting the warmth sink its way through. "You scared me Maes, I thought I'd lost you. Next time you play the hero at least let me be the sidekick."

It was good to hear him laugh as if their nightmare was truly in the past. "The first thing on my hero agenda is to save you from my parents."

Gracia playfully hit him on the arm, just happy that he seemed well enough to be joking around.

"What's wrong with your parents?"

Hughes laughed. "They have empty nest syndrome with both Frank and Walter up at Briggs. I'm surprised they aren't here right now." He mused thoughtfully.

"Actually…" She confessed, "They should be up here any minute now."

He smiled fondly at her, his hand coming up to run through her hair. "How long do you think we have?"

Gracia blushed, knowing her thoughts were a long way off. His injury needed time to heal, and the activities she was thinking of were strenuous enough to possibly cause him more pain than he was already in.

"I'd say we have as long as it takes for them to take the elevator up and walk towards your room, so seconds really."

He grinned at her in a way that made her blush and wonder if his meds were a little high. "We can accomplish a lot in a short amount of time."

"And have your parents walk in on us, no thank you. I would actually like it if your parents like me." She admitted.

Hughes just continued to grin like an idiot. "You could never do anything that would make them think badly of you. My mom already thinks of you as the daughter she never had."

"Of course I do!" Mrs. Hughes exclaimed from the hallway as she joined them.

Gracia watched as Maes cringed at the impact. Mrs. Hughes seemed oblivious as she continued to squeeze him tightly.

"Oh my poor baby boy!" She gushed.

Mr. Hughes held back, a mystified expression on his face. "Mary dear, don't forget he just got out of surgery."

Hughes's mother apologized profusely while fussing about his blankets and pillows. But no matter his mother's antics, Gracia could see that he looked content to have the three of them in the room with him. He had really always been a family man.

The next few moments were filled with laughing and of course talk about the upcoming wedding in the summer. Everyone was ignoring the giant elephant in the room, the fact that the boy they all loved so much had come so close to death. Instead they talked about the future and pretended that their faith had never wavered.

**(Winry)**

"Police are investigating an incident on Central University's campus. Two students were shot in an altercation on campus. Detectives say that the man responsible for the abduction of Ms. Rockbell, another student at the University, was apprehended on sight. Sources say the suspect could also be linked to the recent death of the young IFC President. No word on the condition of the two students involved in the shooting but…"

Winry exited out the news story and put her phone facedown. Her social media accounts were blown up with questions, concerns and a whole lot of attention she didn’t want. Sitting in the dark and lonely dorm room she shivered hard, the hair rising on her skin. Fumbling for the light switch she sagged against the wall in relief as the light revealed nothing out of the ordinary.

It was too soon to be reliving this nightmare, too soon to be fighting away demons.

Winry wished, for the first time since she had started school, that she could just pack up and move back home. There was such a deep yearning for the sunny fields and endless summer that made Central look so ugly and barren in comparison. She thought of Granny rocking in her chair, the pipe in her mouth no more an accessory than an arm or a leg.

Thinking about home led her thoughts to that quiet hill, the one on which two gravestones sat marking the worst lost she had ever felt. Her chest felt tight at the thought of them, the pain swelling as her need for them only amplified. She had that sinking feeling, the one that continued to plummet like a bottomless pit. There was something she hadn't told the police, something she hadn't been able to tell anyone. Kimbley's words had stirred up something that had lain dormant for a long time. Winry had always thought their deaths had been quick, casualties of a war, but murder? The musty smell of that basement room haunted her like a shadow she couldn't escape. Had they faced a similar terror, were they brave until their last breath or were they as scared as she had been? There were so many questions that sang through her head like the haunting call of a crow echoing in judgement. Had they been tortured? Held captive; a slave to the will of another? Was it the quick and painless version she had been told or was it this more severe and terrifying possibilities that were closer to the truth?

Feeling like a child, scared of monsters under their bed, Winry grabbed her room keys and headed out. There was a distinct chill in the air, only amplified by the wind and perpetuated by the absence of the sun. Pulling the hood of her jacket over her head she waited at the bus stop nervously, her eyes darting from corner to corner, her palms sweaty in fear.

She told herself it wasn't always going to be like this, but how could she really know?

Thankfully there were only a few people already seated on the bus, their heads down as they chose to keep to themselves. It never ceased to amaze her how different the country was compared to this cement and block world. That in a city where people practically lived on top of one another they could still act like complete strangers. She leaned against the cold window watching as the streets dragged on by. The bus finally dropped her off about a block away from Central hospital, an inconvenience but the best she could do without a car herself. She instantly regretted not putting on her scarf and gloves, it already felt like winter to her. Walking at a brisk pace she flinched at every noise, and jumped at the slightest disturbance around her. A crash down an alleyway nearly sent her into a run until she caught sight of the perpetrators glowing cat eyes in the dark. There was nothing to fear here, nothing like what she was thinking of.

Upon entering the hospital she could already feel the magnetic pull, the peculiar connection she shared with these white walls. Having been a recent patient she was already accustomed to its hallways and recognized by the staff which allowed her, without much difficulty, to find one of the rooms she was looking for.

Knocking on the door out of politeness rather than necessity she smiled at the two people in the room. Gracia looked up first, her tired eyes shining with happiness at her arrival. Maes was a little slower on the uptake as he sluggishly moved his head to get a good look at her. Her irrational fears rested for the moment as she took the time to smile and be thankful that they had survived. God it was good to see him moving around, even if it was only a little.

His body rose a little as if he were attempting to sit up. "Lo Winry."

His subdued greeting was a little concerning. Winry was accustomed to the usual fireworks display of affection and undeniable happy-go-lucky spirit that could brighten anyone's mood. But there was a strain in his expression, a similar feeling manifesting in Gracia's subdued response. It dawned on her that they were seeing something she couldn't. The sight of her probably brought back what was shattered that day and it occurred to her that there was no fixing it. If what had happened to them had left them in pieces the only thing left to do was pick them up and start new. By the way their eyes roamed over her bandages and bruises she imagined she was a frightening sight. Winry hadn't thought about the possibility that her presence might be selfish and unwanted.

Concerned that she had ruined her time with them she tried to find common ground on something that might really capture their consideration. It sounded a little forced, but she decided it was better than not trying at all.

"I heard that with BTA's date auction the final total towards the Make-A-Wish foundation came in at around $25,000."

The answering smiles on both Maes and Gracias face made her feel like home. Despite their closeness in age Winry felt a sense of generosity and kindness that seemed mature beyond their years.

“It’s a shame we weren't there when they accepted it."

She suddenly felt like the third wheel as Hughes turned his happy smile to that adoring, infatuated stare he reserved only for Gracia. "You are an angel my dear."

When Hughes continued to stare at Gracia Winry couldn't help but wonder how it would feel to have someone look at her that way. Not wanting to intrude upon them any longer she remembered what she actually came to say.

"I know I already said it, but I can never thank you enough Maes, you saved my life." She cleared her throat, "Both of you have done so much for me these past few months, I don't know how I can ever repay you."

Maes exchanged a look with Gracia.

"Winry." He began. "I already think of you as my little sister."

Gracia bent over to fumble around in her bag. Pulling out a sweatshirt she proudly handed it over to her. Embroidered on the front was the familiar Kappa Delta letters, but below that it read Beta Tau Alpha Little Sister. She grinned from ear to ear, her eyes suddenly swimming with happy tears.

“One of the greatest honors a brother could bestow upon a girl is lavaliering her, but the second is taking on a little sister. "

Winry stared at them in surprise, that was not what she had been expecting. “Maes, are you sure?"

The dark-haired man nodded his head firmly, leaving no room for mistake.

Gracia looked ready to burst with good news. "Not only does Maes consider you a little sister but I do too. That's why I wanted to ask you something. I know its early and this is terrible timing, but we could all use something good to think about. Winry will you be one of my bridesmaids?" Gracia leaned forward, an expectant and slightly nervous expression on her face.

There wasn't anything to say that could put words to what this meant. She struggled to answer them but found that hugging onto each of them tightly seemed to convey what she wanted just the same. That was something that made this city different than home. At home in Resembool she wondered if growing up with her whole family together would have felt like this, she imagined it would.

When it finally came to say her goodbyes, she noticed that the two of them still had this mischievous glint in their eyes. "What?"

"Tell Ed we say hi." Maes offered cheerily.

"Of course." The heat rose to her cheeks as she fell right into their trap. Flushed, she tried to stammer out some kind of story that would make coming all the way up here, late at night, seem like a normal friend thing to do, but she was coming up empty handed.

Gracia stood up and walked her out. "Winry."

She held back for a second, just out of hearing distance from Maes.

"He was a real mess when you were gone Winry."

“Who? Edward?”

Gracia nodded.

Winry wondered what it must have been like on the other side of everything. Edward had been through some scary things in his life, Winry wouldn't blame him for assuming the worst. It was a perfectly rational response; it didn't mean she had this pull over him, not like she meant more than a friend.

The older girl touched her shoulder, snapping her out of her thoughts. "He really cares about you."

"He's my best friend." She defended and thought about what that meant and how she felt so much more.

Her sorority sister stared at her like she was missing the point. "Maes is the best friend I've ever had. I just want you to think about it. Just don't give up because he doesn't make the first move."

Hell, she wasn't concerned about making the first move. She was raised by one of the most independent and forward thinking women around, waiting around for a guy to make the first move was laughable. Her dilemma didn't originate from a lack of self-confidence or some kind of preconceived gender role. No, it came from the fine line that one drew when it came to friendships between a boy and a girl. The real problem was in trying to fight it off before it began, trying to smother her feelings before they threatened the one thing that really made her genuinely happy. Even with his flaws she still couldn't imagine her journey without him.

Then there was that nagging voice, the one that forced her to look into why she wanted him to feel something else, why she needed him to. Maybe it came down to a simple scenario which had almost played out. If she only had hours to live, what would she want to tell him?

Telling him that he was her best friend seemed like such a poor phrase to encompass all that he really was to her.

Winry embraced her sister one more time. "I think I'd have to be an idiot to fall in love with Edward Elric."

Gracia just shrugged her shoulders, a wise, sage like wisdom to her words. "We're all idiots when it comes to love."

He was sleeping when she entered his room, the covers bunched around his hips, his hand resting on his stomach. The TV was on, but from the looks of it he had passed out for some time. Having been admitted with minor injuries, Winry had already made a few trips to see him even before she was discharged.

Honestly being at the hospital put her somewhat at ease for the moment. It helped to be around a familiar face when the same irrational fear began to eat away at her.

She had already sneaked a peak at Edwards's charts the first day she had snuck into his room. There was no way she was going to trust the nurses about his condition, she made sure he was going to be alright before she let them escort her back to her own room. It was an undesired aftereffect that seeing the damage written out caused her to relieve those few days. Like a player on repeat that continued to skip back to the same song over and over again. He had been shot right through the shoulder, the bullet leaving a clean entrance and exit wound. It had failed to hit any bone or vital organ, but the muscle it tore through was going to take some time to heal. The hospital would probably keep him for a couple more days under observation but she was excited that he would be back to school soon.

Turning off the TV she pulled the covers back up and tucked them around Ed. When he didn't flinch in his sleep she pulled up a chair and leaned her elbows on the bed. The fear lurking in the back of her mind began to dwindle, his presence relaxing her. Out of that nightmare she had discovered the truth and now she needed to tell him the truth. Touching her finger tips across his hand, she dragged them slowly across his skin wishing she could talk to her best friend about what was bothering her.

**(Havoc)**

With everyone feeling a bit jumpy around campus Havoc sort of assumed others might want company now more than ever. Girls would be only too eager to have a man escort them home and he would be only too happy to oblige. The only thing that turned his little fantasy into a nightmare was the existence of one disturbingly false rumor. Rumors have a way of sticking around long after they have had their desired effect. He was beginning to learn that when a rumor involved a sexually transmitted disease, it tended to stick around a little too long.

Needless to say, his charming personality could only take him so far; most of the girls he walked home left him at the door. It was only after a teasing display the entire way that they finally spouted off the deadly friend line and left him hanging. Not to point fingers but somehow, he had a feeling Rebecca was behind all this. The girl might love to play coy, but he had a feeling that she was getting back at him for that time he told his fraternity brothers that she was a prude. A pretty big lapse in judgment in hindsight, but he honestly hadn't thought it important to keep something like that a secret. He had been a naive and immature freshman boy who had been rejected.

Sitting outside he smoked the rest of his cigarette, eyeing the dark sky above. He spied her walking up to him out the corner of his eye, _speak of the devil_. Rebecca emerged from inside the dorm building, her eyes settling on his.

"Looks like it might snow." She commented looking up.

Grinning, he dropped the bud to the ground and smashed it with the toe of his boot. "Sure is cold enough for it."

Rebecca leaned against one of the brick pillars supporting the overhang. He took that as a cue that she was staying and decided to light another one. He held out the pack towards her, "Want one?" He offered.

Pushing a few locks of curly black hair from her face she eyed it for a moment before shaking her head. "Maybe another time, you do realize it's bad for your health, right?"

He had to laugh at that, "They say stress is bad for your health too. I'm just merely choosing which vice I take on."

Rebecca had that way about her and he knew she was fishing for something from him.

"So if it looks like it might snow and you don't want to smoke, what brings you out here?"

A couple walked by stealing her attention before she returned her attention to him. "You looked lonely."

The slight tease in her words created just enough excitement to keep him interested. Rebecca was playing his role so well that he didn't mind tagging along in hers. "How do you think you can help me with that darlin'?"

She wrinkled her nose. "Darlin'? You are such a southern boy."

"So where does that leave us?" He questioned, awaiting her answer before he continued on this path. They had kept their distance, but the more they fought it lately the closer they seemed to get.

"I was right about you Jean Havoc."

She was not the first woman to say that to him and frankly that phrase never ended with anything good. "And are you disappointed?"

"No." She fiddled with the zipper on her jacket, "I knew when I first met you that you weren't the dating type. But then again, I never pegged you as a dishonest man."

Was that a compliment, somewhere in there he thought there might have been. "Well then it's only fair that I tell you I thought you were a stuck-up brat."

The frown lines deepened in her forehead as she dropped her zipper. "And are you disappointed in what you found?"

"Yes."

He watched her swallow, her chest rising and falling as if time itself were holding them in a world all their own. "Should I be apologetic?" She challenged him.

He had a good laugh at that one. There was something else he had wanted to pry out of her, more to figure out her reasoning than to actually place any real blame.

"About starting rumors about me having crabs?"

The undeniable look of guilt covered her pale complexion. "Crabs huh, did you figure out which girl gave it to you?"

He exhaled a puff of smoke feigning shock. "Funny, I was under the impression that it came from _you_."

Rebecca scoffed. "You had it coming and you know it." She shot back without remorse.

"Jealous?" The two of them stood watching as a few people entered and exited the dorm building. The wind picked up a little and he found himself watching it tease her hair. She swatted the stray pieces a few times before giving up and letting them fly in her face. Seeing her in a pair of ripped jeans with a sweatshirt and her hair messy was surprisingly sexy on her.

She moved closer to him. "Jealous of what?"

Finishing off his second cigarette Jean nudged her in the shoulder. "Jealous that other girls were paying attention to me."

Rebecca leaned in towards him, their faces inching closer. "Like I said, jealous of what?"

She licked her lips and he was gone. Griping the back of her head he yanked her towards him, smashing their mouths together rather ungracefully. He could hear a startled noise winding up in the back of her throat but when he ran his fingers through her hair she seemed to relax. The smell of lavender scented soap wafted from her hair, further pulling him under whatever spell she had cast on him.

Breathing hard Jean stepped back, trying to calculate what his next move might be.

"You're a terrible kisser."

She had to be kidding. "What?"

Rebecca shrugged her shoulders looking a little disappointed. "I really thought you would be a lot better than that. You know, all the wait, the buildup and then wham."

Jean missed the smirk on her face as he pulled her in again, determined to prove her wrong. Sucking on her lower lip he could feel her stir under his hands. Leaning back, he made a face at her. "Ha! Try calling me a lousy kisser now!"

"Lousy kisser." She taunted.

He couldn't really be mad at her with those red lips looking swollen and her eyes wide in expectancy. "At least I'm not a tease."

She smiled ruefully, "Talk about the pot calling the kettle black."

Rebecca was a smart girl, a collected and witty girl who didn't make a move without planning the next one in advance. So what the hell was she flirting around with him for? This might be lighthearted banter, but he knew where he wanted to take this and where it should never go.

There was something there between them, he couldn't deny that, but what he should do about it had him at a loss.

"You sure you don't want one?" He offered his pack of cigarettes one more time before pocketing them.

She shook her head. Why was she staring at him like that?

"Suppose I'll see you round then." He paused waiting for her to contradict him but it was like clockwork between them. You could map out exactly what was happening to them and still wind up nowhere. There might come a day when things lined up.

She looked puzzled for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. "I suppose so."

He was going to pretend that kiss was more of an experiment between them rather than a starting point. Things couldn't get complicated between them; she was one of the few girls who put up with having him around. Yeah, there might come a day when things lined up, but it certainly wasn't today.

**(Edward)**

It was a new day and he had yet another scar to add to his 'repertoire of things to impress the ladies with' as Havoc had put it. Al had added that he would have been better off losing another limb in favor of automail if he was looking to impress a certain girl with his body.

Innocent Al was turning into every other high school kid with his mind in the gutter.

Younger patients usually had parents fawning all over them, but not him. A few nurses had updated him that his father had to leave for an urgent business call and of course Al had to be forced out of the waiting room so that he could go back to school. Edward should have been used to being alone, but that just wasn't the case.

He had overheard an orderly complaining about how they should have just placed Rockbell in his room. Edward had grinned at the thought, because with all this morphine he was feeling light hearted and free. Maybe even free enough to admit he liked that idea very much.

When he had first woken up after surgery Al had stood there looking smug because draped across his lap was Winry, hospital gown and all. It was becoming increasingly more difficult to focus on anything besides her. He was convinced that the only reason they had released her so early was because they didn't want to have to keep dragging her out of his room. It had shocked him that even after she was released, he still woke up to find her sleeping next to him or curled up on the window seat studying for their exams.

But all in all he was actually excited to get back to school, stoked to be out of the stuffy hospital and relieved that it was over and they were still standing. Winry had wheeled him into Maes room the other day and lucky for him he had been early enough to share a delicious apple pie that Gracia had concocted. When she had the time to run home and make an apple pie, he had no idea. Especially since no one had seen her leave his side.

Time had passed, as it always did, adding with it a conversation that was yet to be had. There had hardly been a time when he wasn't hanging out with Winry, but they still managed to avoid a topic he was sure was on both of their minds.

The library was packed with students, the study tables overloaded with piles of books and papers. It shouldn't have been surprising to him, it was final exam week. The only plus to finals week was that it marked the last week before a long winter break.

Edward slouched down in his seat, setting his pen down and flexing his aching hand. One semester down, seven more to go. At this rate he wasn't going to make it through his freshman year, yet alone graduate. Family problems aside, it had been one hell of a roller coaster between joining a fraternity and well, meeting Winry.

He had been watching her across the table for more than a few minutes now. It was clear from that glazed over look that the text was going over her head. She was stressed and despite her strong character he knew recent events had taken their toll. Someone had managed to steal something from her and he wished he could give it back. Whatever it was that had been taken seemed to obvious to him that he felt like he was watching a hollow version of his friend.

"You might as well put the book down."

She didn't even look up at him. "Ed I'm studying."

He pushed the book physically out of her reach. "Put it down already."

Her face turned up, a look of irritation flaring on her pretty features. "I said I'm studying Ed! I'm studying for a test that I have zero chances of passing, so help me if you-"

Well he stopped listening to her rant at some point but only because it was all there. He smiled as she huffed indignantly and went back to reading, her eyes focused and determined. Roy might piss him off a lot but if he had taught him one thing it was that just moving through the world without feeling was a whole lot worse. Better to be angry at the world than feel nothing at all. Winry needed to find that passion, that spark that lit her up and right now it seemed her irritation against him had put a bit of it back in.

**(Rose)**

"Marry me."

"Quit it."

Leto chuckled like this was a joking matter. "Marry me Rose."

"Ugh, I said quit it." She complained.

"You're not even considering it. I think you owe me that much." He replied in an offhand way.

This was not the conversation she wanted to be having. "I'll leave." She warned.

He grinned at her, "No you won't."

"And why wouldn't I?" She protested haughtily.

"Because I love you Rose and I want to marry you so it's a simple yes or no scenario. So Rose, which is it?"

They had been going back and forth on this for the past week. Usually she liked to sweep her problems under a rug or at least move them someplace else where she didn't have to look at them. But with Leto bringing up his impromptu proposal every few minutes she couldn't pretend it didn't exist anymore. A lot had happened between them, but on this point, she was going to stick to her gut feeling.

"I love you and that's why I can't marry you." Rose reiterated for what felt like the hundredth time.

Leto shook his head, his arms folding defiantly across his chest. "Sorry Rose not a good enough answer."

Her throat tightened, this was the first real relationship she'd ever had so she wasn't sure exactly how to respond to everything. "You just want me to marry you because you're dying."

That shook the room. The color drained from his face. "Rose…"

"I don't want to marry you because you're dying. That's a page right out of some cliché romance novel where no one ends up happy, but they pretend there is some kind of higher purpose to be found." She finished feeling a little childish in her reasoning.

His arms wrapped around her, the strength in his hold enough to confuse her. How could someone so alive be dying on the inside? "Do you even have a ring for me?" She asked trying to lighten the mood.

He had that up to no good look she usually found on his face. "I have one better, what do you say to a trip to Creta for winter break?"

Bickering aside, a vacation sounded heavenly. She kissed him long and hard, ignoring the frantic workings of her brain as it tried to figure out how to explain eloping in Creta to her extremely conservative family. As much as she had been trying to suppress it, she was starting to see the world through his eyes. It was now or never; sometimes things just couldn't wait. She thought of her roommate and how close she had come to losing her life. It just proved that nothing in this world was a given. To hell with only being a freshman and to hell with being the young age of 18. Leto was changing her world and she either stood still and let it spin or she ran with it.

**(Olivier)**

The ice clanked against the glass as she tipped it back, pulling out the last drop before setting it back down. Exams were done and while the majority of people were packing for break she had coerced Buccaneer into a drink with her. But why she thought their conversation might just skip over their mutual friend was laughable.

"Do you think you're better off alone?" Buccaneer asked in his straightforward manner.

Olivier considered the question honestly. "I don't know."

"Well, are you happier now or before?" He rephrased.

Was she happier being a powerful, goal driven, independent woman with no one to share it with or did she want to use some of her energy on a partnership? Good question.

"We can't just be friends and he doesn't want to be more than friends so that leaves us with nothing."

Buccaneer scoffed. "He's worse than you, you know. At least you're trying to pretend like everything is okay."

That was news to her. He seemed like he had his act together when he had come to stop her that night. But then again someone had to retain some sense of reality between the two of them. He was always good in a difficult situation at diffusing the tension. She tried to steer the conversation off of her disaster of a love life.

"How are you holding up?"

The large man released his booming laugh. "Well I would feel a lot better if I didn't have to play mediator between you and Miles. Listen I told him exactly what I’m telling you, I won’t pick sides." He took a swig from the stein in front of him.

"Who said you had to pick sides?" She grumbled. This wasn't a divorce; they didn't have to divide their assets.

"Yeah, yeah. With two hard asses like you and Miles it feels like the cold war around here. Someone's gotta put out the white flag, figure it out."

He was going to act high and mighty with her? "And what would you suggest?"

The beer stein he had been drinking from sat empty as he frowned at her. "Forgot how to talk have you?"

"We've already talked, it didn't work." She amended sharply.

Buccaneer rolled his eyes, which was quite a thing to see on such a severe looking man. "You two don't talk, he lectures and  _you_  bark out orders. That's not talking that's fighting."

"And you're the expert on working things out?" Her large friend wasn't exactly known for his diplomacy.

"Nah, but I settle my feuds. Like I said Olivier, figure it out already."

**(Riza)**

"Miss Hawkeye, may I have a word?"

Riza turned around looking back at the exam she had just submitted. "Is something wrong Professor Raven?"

The serious look on his face suggested there was, but for what reason she was at a loss.

"Simply a word. If you would please wait for me up at my office?"

Riza glanced around at the last two students in the room still taking the exam. "But sir…"

"I will be up shortly." He replied back.

Troubled by his failure to explain why he needed to speak with her she left the lecture hall feeling a little upset. But since he had yet to grade her final exam she knew it was good policy to follow his wishes and made her way up to his office as asked. After speaking to the secretary at the front desk she was pointed towards the last office down the hall. Even though it had been a couple of months the lady startled her by offering her condolences for the loss of her father. Could that possibly be the intent of her professor? She hadn't been aware of any friendly relationship between her father and Raven. After a few more minutes of waiting outside his office door she concluded that that couldn't be true, her father had been close with only one thing, his research.

"Miss Hawkeye, thank you for waiting so patiently." Raven unlocked the door, holding it open with one hand while gesturing her in with the other. "Please, have a seat."

Riza obeyed, setting her bag on her lap as she sat rigidly. "I'm sorry, have I done something wrong?" She asked still feeling uneasy.

The door shut, blocking out the telephone ringing down the hall as it closed with a soft click. Raven leaned back against his desk instead of taking a seat behind it. "Oh no, no."

She had a perfect grade in his class, what could he want to talk to her about? Her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag as she felt the hair rise on her skin. "You just wanted to speak to me then?"

"Your exceptional aptitude for law. You are my brightest student. Any thought as to which law school you intend to apply for next year?"

His easy-going nature began to ease the tension she had felt earlier. Releasing her bag from a death grip she wished she hadn't jumped to conclusions.

"To be honest things have been so hectic that I haven't had much time to think about it."

Raven sat down in the chair next to hers. "A student with your attention to detail and high marks shouldn't put off making a decision. You should think about staying in the area, Central's law school is one of the finest in the nation. Besides…" He placed his large hand against her knee leaning in slightly, "I am very close to Dean Bradley. With my help you would have no problem getting accepted into our law program."

It was hard to not focus on his hand or the closed door without a little bit of suspicion. She made sure to word her response back in a firm and professional manner. "I appreciate your help. I will let you know if I think about going to law school here."

His hand rose a little up from her knee as he squeezed her thigh briefly. "Wonderful. I knew you were a smart girl. Looks like we will be seeing a lot of each other, you're on my class registry for next semester as well."

There was an awkwardness provided by her silence as she slowly rose to her feet, feeling very uncomfortable at the way he was looking at her. He had never shown her any reason to be nervous around him before, she was just overreacting.

"Of course. Thank you for your career advice."

She stuck out her hand waiting for a business handshake but instantly regretted it as he brought her fingers up to his mouth choosing to kiss them instead. "Please, stop by my office anytime. I would love to discuss your future."

Walking briskly down the hallway she ignored the secretary's pleasant farewell and booked it out there. She lingered inside the building for a brief moment before walking out into the cold. She was just overreacting…right?

**(Edward)**

A sharp knock at his door made Ed bolt upwards in bed. With all his finals done all he wanted to do was sleep. Kicking off the sheets he rolled out of bed and stalked towards the door.

"Who is it?" He snapped, like an old man with a threatening cane.

"Open up, it's me."

Pushing the door open he stared at his pretty blonde friend. This might be one of those dreams of his…

"Winry, it's three in the morning?"

She frowned at him, "I can tell time Ed."

Okay, so maybe it wasn't that type of dream. "Then come back a reasonable one." He griped. Ed attempted to shut the door to avoid confrontation or worse disappointment.

"But Ed, it's snowing."

He was not getting out of bed for snow. For someone who didn't live in Central that might sound exciting and fun, but for someone who had just recently recovered from being shot, not to mention having two automail ports that were sensitive to temperature changes, the idea sounded painful.

Unfortunately for him she was already starry eyed and ready to go.

Winry pushed her way into his dorm room in a huff.

"I've never seen snow like this, come on!" She practically begged him. "Please?"

Looking outside he watched the tiny pieces of white float in front of the streetlights. There had to be at least a foot of snow already layered on the ground. He glanced back at Winry and then back at the snow. She was already in a pair of boots along with a hat and gloves, waiting expectantly.

"Winry…"

"Ed." She fired right back. But she should have known she had already won.

She crossed her arms over her chest and he noticed the sleeves of her jacket rise and the small scars that had formed on her wrists from that painful day. He swallowed and tried to avoid looking anymore. So she wanted to play in the snow, why was this even something he needed to think about?

"I can't believe I'm doing this." He muttered as he began to slide on a pair of boots over his flannel pajama bottoms.

"Eek!" Winry jumped up and down excitedly. The smile on her face contagious and for that moment he forgot how tired he felt or how cold it was outside. All he knew was that she hadn't smiled like that in a long time.

Walking across the street towards the quad Ed paused as he caught Winry with her head tilted back, her tongue sticking out. He smothered a laugh.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Closing her mouth, she smirked back at him, "Why not? Everyone always catches them on their tongues."

"You don't want to know what could be in that one tiny snowflake. Honestly Win, I did a lab once where-"

He was halted by her hand over his mouth.

"Ed." She grinned in amusement. "Can we pretend you're not this science geek and just have fun?"

There was enough snow on the ground that he knew it wouldn't hurt. She wanted fun, did she? His shoulder still hurt, but like pain ever stopped him from doing what he wanted to do. He tackled her into the snow making sure to rub a handful into her hair. She fought back with vengeance, lodging a nice clump of snow down the back of his shirt.

"Wah!" He cried as the wet powder began to turn to liquid as it ran down his back.

Giggling she rolled out from under him and began to run across the snow-covered area. Ed used this time to pack a snow ball, flinging it with his good arm to hit spot on at his mark. Winry squealed as she tried to duck only to have it smash right against her shoulder. Before long they were both lying down next to each, laughing hard and soaked to the bone. They hadn't been out there that long but the sharp pains began to settle in. Ed grimaced as his shoulder port began to ache, not to mention the shoulder itself. There were times when having automail was a plus, but the cold of winter was not one of them. Winry leaned over him, the loopy smile vanishing off her face.

"Your automail is hurting you, isn't it?"

He tried to fake it, but he knew she could tell. "Not too much."

"Come on." She got to her feet and helped him up to his. "I was starting to get cold anyways."

The wet clothes that clung to her figure were not helping his overactive imagination. The greedy little voice at the back of his head urged him to put an arm around her shoulders and to offer several pleasurable ways to warm their bodies up. He was glad his cheeks were red with cold or else she might have figured out that his mind was currently in the gutter. Winry grabbed ahold of his flesh hand as they walked back, sufficiently wiping his mind clear.

He wasn't sure how they ended up in his room, but he was soon offering her a warm pair of sweats as he turned the other way. When he finally turned back around he watched as she tried to comb her fingers through her tangled hair. Her cheeks were still pink with cold, but she looked happy.

The pain in his shoulder dulled at the sight.

Hiding behind his closet door he managed to pull on another pair of pajama pants. Just as he was about to pull on a shirt he noticed Winry standing behind him. Jumping slightly he glared at her.

"Winry! Were you watching the whole time?"

She acted like he had insulted her. "No, but don't put a shirt on just yet."

"Huh?" He sincerely hoped this wasn't a dream, even though it sounded like one.

She grabbed his towel off its hook on the back of the door. "Here." She motioned for him to lie down, "You'll ruin your automail if you don't dry it right." Well now at least he knew he wasn't dreaming. She fussed over his automail longer than she did the skin that was already healing up from where he had been shot.

Her hands ran over the spot making him jump.

"Ah! Watch it!" It might be almost done healing but it was still sensitive!

He heard a sniffle. What? Aw shit, did he really just make her cry?

"Winry…" He began.

She turned away from him, working furiously to brush away evidence. "Sorry, it's nothing."

That phrase was designed to trick the male population into false security.

Edward sighed. "You didn't hurt me. Just scared me s'all."

"That's not it." She still sounded choked up.

What the hell was she crying about then?  _Women_.

"What's wrong then?"

At last she faced him, her eyes wet. "I'm sorry Ed, about everything. I shouldn't have gone off to dance with Kimbley, I was so stupid."

They were guilty soul mates. Hadn't he just spent the past few weeks berating himself for not just dancing with her when she asked him to?

"You have to know none of this is your fault. You do know that, right?"

"How can you say that? Look at everything that happened Ed. Sam being dragged into jail, Maes getting shot and then you- _he could have killed you that night_."

He watched her stare at her hands like she was the culprit and it made him furious at Zolf. When had she pegged herself as the villain?

"Winry." Her name came out ruefully. "Don’t be stupid.”

Her cheeks flared with red, "What?"

"You can see me right?"

She put a hand up to his forehead, "Yeah, maybe I shouldn't have made you go out in the snow."

He wriggled out from her touch, glad to see he had distracted her at least.

"Look at me, I'm alive!"

"Yes, I can see that Ed." She checked her own forehead before checking his again. "You don't feel feverish."  
She was under the impression he was losing it, but for once he felt like he knew exactly what was going on.

"If I had a nickel for every time I  _almost_  died…"

She frowned at him.

Well, maybe that wasn't the best way to word it. Even still, Edward knew she shouldn’t and couldn’t go on blaming herself for things that were outside her control. He knew first hand how those things ended up eating away at you until there wasn’t much left.

"Because of you, they were able to put that piece of shit behind bars. You were strong Winry, you survived."

"I don't feel strong." She disclosed looking vulnerable.

Oh, he was definitely going to regret this.

"That's alright, I'm sure I can find a  _stronger_  mechanic to work on my automail. This hunk of metal would probably be better if it came from someone who  _wasn’t such a baby_ -"

Whack.

Yeah, angry Winry was better than sad Winry.

Winry pulled her hand back looking furious but he couldn't help but grin at what was surely going to bruise in time.

"You are such a little brat!"

He massaged his jaw not sure that little tease had been his best plan. Why did all his plans for helping her end up with him getting hurt?

"That's going to leave a mark."

Her eyes flashed, “Then don’t be an ass.”

"Can't pretend you're not strong now." He added smugly despite getting punched in the face.

It must have finally sunk in. She got to her feet, a confused look on her face before it twisted into a half smile. Looking over her shoulder she gripped the doorknob tightly. "I hate it when you're right."

**(Pinako)**

Being so far away from the City had a way of sheltering you to time; isolating the small things and making them stretch on and on. When she finally got wind of what had been happening at Central University, she felt like she was traveling back in time.

It had been ages since her son, Urey had gone away to college. Ages since she had spent some time worrying about what might happen to him. Worrying that he might take after her and not his father to be more precise. But Winry was different; Winry was her granddaughter and had proven time and time again that she could stand on her own.

"I'm sorry gran." She sounded strange, timid almost.

"I may be old Winry, but I'm no fool. You should know by now that I have ways of finding these things out." She could tell her granddaughter didn't like to upset or worry her, but surprises weren't much better. "Are you going to be alright?" She questioned firmly.

When her granddaughter didn't answer right away she furrowed her brow. "Winry, did you hear me?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

Pinako knew when her granddaughter was lying. "Well if you're fine than I could use your help over break. I have some rush order jobs that need taken care of. Oh and bring that Elric boy with you, the roof has been leaking right over the shop, impossible to get any work done."

Might as well kill two birds with one stone. She needed help around the place and that Elric boy needed to prove his worth. That and Hohenheim's inquiries about her granddaughter and his son had sparked her interest; she wondered what her son and Sara would’ve thought about that.

"Edward? I guess I could ask him…"

She could almost feel her granddaughter blushing at the thought of bringing a boy home with her for the entire two weeks. But she would rather deal with two young kids in denial about their feelings than a granddaughter slipping into a pool of self-pity and depression. She might not always play the typical grandmother role, but she could tell when things needed maintenance.

**(Alphonse)**

There was at least one student at Central Academy that wasn't excited for winter break to come. Al sat in class feeling anxious as the time wound down. High school was great, even better than he had imagined it would be. Being around people again, especially people his own age, was vastly rewarding. The teachers were lively and even the worst amount of homework at least gave him something to do in that lonely flat instead of worry about his brother.

Ed had already called him to let him know he was staying in Resembool with Winry for break to help her grandma out. 

 _To help her grandmother out_ …he wasn't born yesterday.

He hoped the two of them would stop playing cat and mouse long enough to realize they were crazy to keep putting off the inevitable. Whatever, he was learning vast amounts of 'what not to do' when it came to girls from his brother.

Throwing his bag over his shoulder he walked slowly out the front door of the school after the bell had rung, ending the day.

Waiting for the usual company car to pick him up he was surprised to see the familiar red corvette sitting out front. A crowd of admirers were already closing in.

"Al!" Winry got out of the car and practically tackled him.

A few of his classmates looked on in increasing admiration as the older and very attractive girl clung to him. He supposed that no one had to know that she was more of a sister, better to let their imaginations come to a more exciting conclusion.

When he was seated in the back and they were driving towards the freeway he started to get confused. "Brother, home is the other way."

"Yup, got it Al." He insisted defiantly. "But we aren’t going to the apartment.”

“What do you mean?” Al knew there had been some sort of plotting between the two of them.

“Winry helped me to pack some of your stuff, you're coming with us." He replied gruffly.

There were a thousand things that crossed his mind but his cat took the first slot. "What about Sebastian?"

Ed scoffed. "It'll live."

"Brother!"

Winry swatted at Ed before looking backwards over the seat. "The cleaning lady is going to feed your cat while we're gone. You do want to come, right?"

He thought about the lonely flat and the hurried note his father had left explaining some business deal out west for the remainder of the year. Another part of him thought of his brother lying in the hospital and even of the days when Winry had been missing. Edward was family, but Winry sort of fit his definition of family too.

"Does your grandma cook as well as you do?" He asked to cover how excited he was about being asked to join them.

"She’s cooked for you?" Ed asked looking a little more than jealous. "You've never cooked for me!"

" _You've_  never asked." Winry flashed a smile back at Al, "Grans even better than I am."

They might have jumped to conclusions by packing his stuff and assuming he would want to go with them. Good thing they were right.

"Alright!"

About six hours later they were digging themselves out from a snowbank, Winry muttering something about not letting Ed drive. His brother combated with a flushed face that maybe if she hadn't of fallen asleep on him. Al groaned as they continued to bicker back and forth...those two really did deserve each other


	18. Happy Holidays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's winter break for these college kids, but things are really starting to heat up.

**(Miles)**

As a president of one of the fraternities on campus he had been coerced into several meetings on everything from chapter management to values-based recruiting. There had been some long meetings held in the Greek Life office; some spanning six hours straight. But today's meeting was the most intense since the death of IFC president Jerso. Today's agenda had begun with the unsurprising University plans to put Kimbley's chapter on probation until police investigations continued. The strangest part about the meeting was the presence of Dean Bradley. The man didn't look pleased and with his history of trying to shut down Greek Life Miles understood this added involvement was not helping their case.

To be honest, his biggest problem at the moment was the brief words shared between him and Olivier before the meeting began. As the group of presidents filed out of the room for a small break, he caught her eye and followed her into a more secluded part of the student center.

"Miles." She offered like a cool breeze.

He let out a sigh. "Olivier."

This was going to be difficult and she was not going to make this easy on him.

"You said you wanted to talk?" He prompted her.

"I think this game we’re playing is childish and beneath us."

"That’s funny, I was under the impression you liked playing games?" He didn't raise his voice, it was an honest question.

Her eyes flashed and he knew she had taken it as an accusation.

"I don't need you Miles, never did."

As always, he was going to have to fight her ego.

"And you always get what you want, so why did you want to talk to me?"

She was staring at him from behind that beautiful blonde swoop of hair that so often hid the real Olivier. "There are unresolved issues between us."

"Liv, I'm not one of your sorority sisters, you can cut the presidential speech." He needed her to be raw, let it out. Hell, scream if that was going to clear the air between them. But if she couldn't show him any real emotion, then it really was over.

"I hate this, all of it."

It occurred to him that this really might have been the first time she had ever had things pulled out of her hands.

"You think you're the first person to get frustrated when things don't go their way? Everyone loses control, you 're allowed to lose it once in a while."

There was hesitance on her part and that cold demeanor began to thaw.

"Not me, I don't have the luxury of failing. I can't afford to lose it now."

It was exhausting but he had figured out something since their initial breakup, he was stronger than he thought. He could fight with Olivier and chose to walk away; he could fight for what he wanted if that meant he was going to stay.

"None of us can, that's why we lean on each other. We don't shut each other out."

"I know that." She admitted.

"Then what are we doing? What exactly do you want from me?" He needed to hear her say it; he had already said his peace. If in the end it wasn't enough, he was going to have to learn to move on.

The delicate skin across her forehead wrinkled as she seemed to think it over. It was always going to be a struggle to get her to talk about her feelings, at least the ones that didn't involve anger or impatience. "I don’t think we’re better as friends, not when-"

He had walked into this expecting a lot of things, but hearing her say them aloud melted away his stern reluctance. He caught the hair over her eye and pushed it back.

"I love you Olivier, but that doesn't mean I'll let you walk all over me. You're not the only one with dreams."

Her head pushed into his touch, the sorrow on her face subdued.

"Miles." She leaned forward, letting him cross the rest of the distance.

They stayed together because for once it just felt good to not talk. He didn't believe that things were going to magically get better, but knowing that he wasn't the only one fighting for this changed everything. Being with her was never going to be easy, but he could figure out the rest later.

Olivier sulked and he wondered what was going on it that head of hers.

"I think our break is almost over, we should really head back to the meeting."

"How much longer do we have?" He asked.

She looked over her shoulder but there was no one around. "A few minutes?"

They both looked at the empty room behind them. If there was one thing that was never lacking between them, it was physical attraction.

Miles shook his head at the smile playing on her lips, "You really think that's enough time to-"

Olivier narrowed her eyes and he thought maybe he had read it all wrong. She tugged him forward by his tie, "Oh, there's time."

Miles decided something as Olivier took him under her spell as if he had never come up for air. Following someone else's lead didn't have to always put him in second place. For things like this, he knew they each had equal parts. And despite his denial to the obvious, he found her dominance very attractive and at the moment it was invigorating.

Walking back to the meeting several minutes later they were met by a room full of silence. Miles didn't trust himself to speak; just trying to keep a serious face was taking his full concentration.

"Thanks for finally gracing us with your presence." Their Greek advisor eyed them sternly.

Olivier gave him a sly look before glancing at the expensive watch on her wrist.

"My watch must be off." She sat primly in her spot daring someone to challenge her.

The room settled back into the drab of politics and Greek life, but Miles was gone. Between his still racing heart and the way she was still looking at him they could have been talking in Drachman for all he cared.

**(Edward)**

It shouldn't have come as a real shock that Al got along famously with the old hag. His younger brother was already turning into Suzy homemaker, helping around the house, picking up groceries from town and he had even caught him feeding some stray cats in the barn.

Ed would have been able to put it out of his head if his little brother wasn't over there mucking it up as he sampled the first bites of stew and all the other goodies that were stinking up the place.

"Aren't you done in there? I'm starving." He complained feeling righteously indignant.

"Rude."

Ed looked over to see Winry coming up from the basement, a scowl on her face. Her hair was pulled back and he could see some lines of grease on the apron. While he had been up on the roof making repairs, she had been down in the basement working on several pieces of automail. Ed had a feeling the old bat had planned it out this way just to torture him. There just didn't seem to be the right time or place to pull her aside and really talk to her.

Al poked his head out of the kitchen to where Ed was lying sprawled across the couch.

"Maybe if you helped it would be ready faster." He answered cheerily, not all disturbed by the dark cloud hovering over Ed's head.

"Nngh." He was tired from the day's work.

"Then quit your yapping." The old lady wagged a spatula at him in warning.

"Don't hog the couch Ed, make room." Winry pushed his feet off, taking up a seat next to him.

Women in this house.

"Rude." He repeated her earlier sentiment.

They glared at each other until Winry closed her eyes and sank back into the couch cushions. He could see it in the way her head nodded off to the side that she must be really beat. He was about to go back to lounging when he noticed her apron had begun to slid down, that skimpy little tube top barely leaving anything to the imagination. Didn't she realize it was wintertime? It might be warm in Resembool but it wasn't that warm this time of year. He must have been staring for too long because something whacked him across the back of his head.

"Dinners ready."

If he wasn't a guest in their house, he would have had some choice words with Winry's gran. Luckily Winry didn't notice or she was too tired to care. Either way he was soon distracted by the mouthwatering sights and smells that awaited him in the dining room. Food had a way of mellowing out his temper and of course seeing both his brother and Winry laughing together was the icing on the cake. It was nice to know that despite horrors of the past, people could find a way to be happy in the present. Once he was done stuffing his face, he avoided clean up as he snuck outside to enjoy the mild weather. It might have been a little cold to be outside without a jacket but he didn't mind. No snow, no problem.

Den wandered about the yard while he twiddled his thumbs enjoying the break.

Behind him the screen door open and shut.

Craning his head backwards he spied Winry staring at him. "So this is where you're hiding. Okay Mr. Fix it, show me the goods."

Well that was first. "Huh?"

She cocked her head to the side in equal confusion, like her meaning should have been obvious. "The roof? Show me what you've been up to all day."

The roof, right. He stood up and pointed towards the section he had worked on. "Well there it is, all done."

She looked skeptically upwards like she didn't believe him.

"Go get the ladder, I want to make sure."

After propping the ladder against the house, he held it steady as she climbed up before following suit. It was getting a little darker but the landscape was still clearly visible and breathtaking. She looked at the newly shingled area and instead of turning back around she proceeded to take a seat.

He watched as she patted the spot next to her for him. It didn't occur to him at first but once he sat down, he realized that this just might be the moment he had been waiting for. That’s the funny thing, he hadn’t been looking, but now that she was right in front of him it was hard to ignore.

Clearing his throat he was about to say something really dumb when he caught a look at the expression on her face. She was staring off in the distance, oblivious to the fumbling boy next to her.

"So are you going to tell me what's bothering you or are you going to make me guess?"

She smiled but he could sense the storm lurking behind the clouds. "I'm okay."

Okay was for people who had a nice day, people who complained to parents, people who didn’t have demons lurking in the shadows. One look and Edward knew she was far from it.

"I don't believe you." There was fear in her eyes that had nothing to do with where they were. "Nothing like that could ever feel ok."

Winry stared out at the large expanse in front of them, the empty fields and the distant farm houses mirrored in her eyes. Her arms drew up around herself as she shivered slightly.

"I’m still terrified…especially when I’m alone or at night I hear his voice and I keep thinking it won’t ever go away.”

Ed shifted his position so that he was closer. “You can’t let him do that to you.”

Winry frowned, her eyes narrowing in his direction. “It’s not like I want this.”

“He stole something from you Win, don’t let him have this too. Don’t waste another second on that piece of shit.”

“You don’t know what its like.” She argued.

"You’re right, but I do know what its like to let fear dictate your life. When Al was in the hospital I just sort of stopped, I shut everyone off. I spent all that time being angry and upset. But you’re not like me Winry, you’re one of the strongest people I know.”

Winry gave him a strange look and Edward was suddenly aware of how close they were.

"Ed?” Winry leaned in and when she paused Edward couldn't breathe. In fact he couldn't even begin to form a coherent response. “Why did you come for me that night?”

She was waiting on him to decide something here. It was clear what the drumming in his ears was and why his palms were sweating despite the chill in the air.

“You’re my friend.” He blurted out.

“Liar.” She whispered.

Winry was closer than before and when her eyes flashed to his lips and back up he realized the time to think was running out.

“You took a bullet for me, why would you do that?” She persisted.

He didn't want to say anything because opening his mouth to speak had a greater chance of him messing this up than the alternative. It was dark, they were alone and all Edward was trying to do was tell her he would have died for her but that felt dangerously close to saying something about love and he wasn’t ready for that. Instead he kissed her.

Winry was his friend, the tomboy mechanic he had been inseparable from since the moment he met her. But the way she kissed him back threw everything he knew about her out the window. It suddenly felt long overdue, like they had been released into uncharted territory.

And then he was being pinned to the roof under her control, as if Winry felt the same urgency and damn if his worries didn’t swoosh right out from under him.

_Or maybe that was the ladder._

She pulled away, her eyes wide. "Ed, tell me that wasn't what I think it was."

Well, he couldn't tell her a thing because between her lying on top of him and what had just happened, he was gone, long gone.

"Ed!" She accused him.

"What?"

Standing to her feet she looked around wildly, like something might pop out of thin air if she looked for it hard enough. She leaned over the edge her mouth pouting. "You hit the ladder off! You idiot, how the hell are we going to get down?"

Ok, so he might have felt it brush against his leg, but why would he even think about that useless piece of junk when he was in the middle of something ground breaking?

"Yeah, well maybe if you hadn't of tackled me, I wouldn't have knocked into it!" He snapped back, rising to the fight.

Her cheeks reddened and she backed away from him. "Yeah, well you started it!"

"Like you didn't want me to!" He shouted back feeling his pride take a tumble.

Right, once again he was not doing himself any favors. She turned her back on him, but he noticed that she was shivering. Coming up behind her he knew the dangers of her turning him away but she couldn't really run from him, right? Feeling a little bold he grabbed her hand.

"Winry." He spoke softly into her ear, giving her hand a squeeze.

She turned around slowly, her face nearly bumping into his. The anger began to fade from her expression. "What are we doing Ed?"

"Well." He shrugged, "I'm pretty sure Al and the old crackpot will notice we're missing sooner or later."

"No, I didn't mean that." She touched his face. "I meant this."

"I don't know." He offered. “But I’d like to try.”

That must have been the right thing to say because she smirked at him before shaking her head.

**(Alphonse)**

They weren't eavesdropping. You can't call it eavesdropping when the two people in question are yelling so loud you can hear it from every room in the house.

"It sounds like they need help." He wondered out loud nervously.

Winry's grandmother chuckled. "Between the two of them they should be able to figure it out."

"Huh?" Sometimes he wasn't sure he completely understood her brand of wisdom.

The older Rockbell woman continued to smoke on her pipe. A smug grin sat on her face. "It's about time."

Eventually when the temperature had dropped low enough that Pinako had lit a few logs in the fireplace he was sent out to help assess the damage. It had been eerily quiet; he hoped they hadn't killed each other at this point. He wasn't sure whose temper was worse, his brothers crazed rage or Winry's violent fury. Shaking his head Al made his way outside and found the ladder strewn across the ground. That was weird, he would have guessed his brother being stuck on a roof would have encouraged more yelling.

"Brother?" He called up again. "Winry?"

_We're they even up there?_

Hoisting the metal ladder up against the side of the house he began to climb. It squeaked with his movement but he kept his eyes focused up, instead of thinking about his growing acrophobia.

It was hard to see in the dark, but even he could see what was laying a little way away. Winry was huddled against his brother, her head lying on his chest and his arms holding her tightly in place. They appeared to be asleep, but he barely trusted his brother not to fall out of a bed, yet alone on top of a roof. He coughed nosily into his fist.

Winry shot right up while his brother put up a little more of a fight before joining them in the real world.

"Why didn't you guys call for help?" He asked, hoping to startle a response from them.

It was a dead tie for who looked the most embarrassed. But the longer he stood there the more Ed looked ready to throttle someone, specifically him. Whoops.

The next few days were laced with awkwardness and stolen glances. Al knew something had changed but he didn’t press his brother too hard. When he thought about it, the situation was complicated. How do you go from being best friends with someone to something more without risking it all?

He didn’t have to wait long for the answer as he walked in on them trying to put up the holiday tree. They were arguing over how to put the plastic pine tree together and thus it looked like it had been through a violent wind storm.

Several branches were mismatched and others were missing entirely. He knew better than to get caught in the middle of argument between those two. About to make a mad dash back outside he was caught red handed.

"Al! Come tell Winry the tree looks fine." He boasted loudly.

Winry snorted, "Yes Al, please tell us what you think of Ed's assembly job."

The tree looked pretty rough. His brother was really going to have to remember that more often than not, Winry was right.

"Brother, are you sure you read the directions, right?"

Ed scowled, "I don't need directions to put together a stupid Christmas tree."

He was about to tell his brother that obviously he did, but smartly he chose to refrain.

"Well if you're happy with it, then that's all that matters." He responded optimistically.

"I am!" Ed combated, his stubbornness not allowing him to actually admit that it was a disaster.

Winry looked amused. “Is it just me, or does it a look a bit short to you?”

Edward jumped at the bait, storming right up to her. “Its taller than me and Im taller than you. So whose short now?”

Al had suspicions, but now they were confirmed. Something had happened between those two because his brother was giving Winry a cryptic look. They were almost nose to nose when Winry leaned forward and kissed him.

Edward’s ears turned pink, his expression startled. “Winry?”

Winry shrugged, pointing above their heads. “Its mistle toe Ed.”

Both brothers watched her leave the room with open mouths. Alphonse was about to inquire what had happened on that roof but it turned out he wouldn’t have to. His brothers bemused expression as he shook his head and began whistling as he cleaned up the remaining boxes left Al shook. This version of his brother was as foreign to him as the country of Xing.

After the place was covered in seasonal decorations and they had exhausted themselves Al had a moment to talk to his brother before they called it a night.

"Hey brother?"

"Wha-?" His brother replied sleepily as he flopped down on the twin sized bed across the room from his.

"What happened on that roof between you two?”

His brother turned red. “What’s it matter to you?”

Al grinned, “Its about time you noticed.”

“Noticed what?” Edward’s eye twitched, “You and that hag have been conspiring, haven’t you?”

Laughing Al flopped back onto his bed. “Edward and Winry sitting on the roof, K-I-S-S-I-N-G…”

That earned him a pillow to the face that he gladly took and threw right back.

**(Gracia)**

"Hey there toots!"

Gracia rolled her eyes as Walter breezed through the door.

"Hello Wally." She deadpanned, hiding her own amusement at Maes' younger brother.

He looked over her shoulder at the dough she was rolling out. "She's letting you help her with the molasses cookies? I'm impressed, she won't even let dad get near enough to figure out the recipe!" He exclaimed stealing one from the last batch she had already cooked.

"Walter Hughes you are going to ruin your dinner!" His mother chided him as she came back from the pantry with some fresh vegetables for dinner.

Gracia smothered another laugh as Wally ducked out of reach of his mother and yanked another cookie before running from the room. Even though she was an only child she had come to find that big families had a whole other appeal. The crowded feeling of the house only served to create a warmth and vibrancy that made the holidays feel complete. She had met his family on quite a few other occasions in the four years they had been together, but this was her first time staying with them for the holidays. With all the bodies and limited space she was curious as to what the sleeping arrangements would be. That particular discussion had yet to take place and she wondered what plans his parents had in mind. Even with a ring on her finger she knew her own parents view on premarital relations and she had a feeling Maes' parents would agree wholeheartedly.

Frank walked in and grabbed two beers, not acknowledging their presence. Gracia could see Mrs. Hughes tense but she didn't comment as he walked back out to the living room where the rest of the family was watching the game. Without any prodding Mrs. Hughes did however sink against the counter looking exhausted.

"Mrs. Hughes? Are you alright?" Gracia stepped forward to assist her but the older woman shook her head.

Looking a little teary eyed she spoke softly. "He hasn't spoken a word to us since he came home. He's been in combat service for two years and now he won't speak to us? I just…with Maes in the hospital and Wally just joining up with the service…" She held up her hands looking lost. "My nerves are a wreck, oh what you must think of me."

Even as she hugged her future mother-in-law she felt just as lost. She couldn't imagine the kind of stress she must be under. If she had two sons in the military and one put in the hospital, she would be a wreck. Secretly she hoped that she would be blessed with a little girl, boys were an awful lot of trouble.

Mrs. Hughes patted her on the back, "Bless your heart, you are such a welcome presence in this house."

They finished dinner and while the food turned out beautifully and Wally animated the table with his usual jokes and jibes, most of them stemming from his recent experience in boot camp something just felt off. Mr. Hughes at last pulled out a bottle of wine, uncorking it and pouring a glass for each person at the table.

Holding his glass up he smiled around at each of them. "To my beautiful wife and future daughter in law for this wonderful meal." Gracia hoped she wasn't as red as her blushing cheeks felt at the compliment.

"And" He continued, "To my sons, Maes' bravery in the face of death and both Frank and Walter for their courageous hearts as they serve this great country."

Cheers echoed around the table but she noticed Frank still hadn't uttered a word, his glass drained in one gulp. It wasn't until later in the evening when she was finishing up cleaning in the kitchen with Maes that she finally heard the oldest brother speak.

"I said drop it."

Gracia flinched; she had never heard him raise his voice before. In fact of the three bothers he had always seemed to be the most rational and serious.

"You're in my house and while you're under my roof I won't have it." Mr. Hughes announced in a softer but firmer voice.

That's when Gracia spotted the open bottle in Franks hand, was he drunk?

Maes stepped in quickly as if on damage control. "Come on Frank, let's go for a walk."

Frank backed away from the both of them. "I don't want to go for a walk.

"Trust me; let's just go for a walk." Maes offered again, stepping closer to his brother.

Gracia could see that between both Mr. Hughes and Maes they had Frank backed into a corner. He looked like he might respond when Wally came waltzing through and cut the tension like a knife. "Man Frank I heard you could throw some back but save some for the rest of us huh?" He laughed enjoying his own joke.

Mrs. Hughes who had been standing there in angst screamed in shock as Frank began to wail on his younger brother, the bottle in his hands shattering as he fought him to the floor. He wasn't able to get in that many hits before he was pulled off by the other two males but the damage was already done.

Wally spluttered, his hand touching his mouth and pulling away to reveal a growing splotch of blood. "Jesus Frank! What the hell was that for?"

Frank breathed heavily his arms shaking, "I'm out of here!" He snarled before stalking through the front door, leaving it wide open to the chill that had circled the room.

Maes stared from Wally to where Frank had once been, his mouth open in shock. Gracia pushed him forward, already in motion to finding a cloth to put a few ice pieces inside for the growing bruise on his brother's face. "Don't let him drive." She urged knowing that if someone could calm his older brother down it would be him.

Mr. Hughes swore so loudly the room seemed to echo and Gracia was submerged in a family that now seemed completely foreign to her. Mrs. Hughes was crying as she struggled to clean up the broken mess on the floor. What in the world had just happened?

**(Maes)**

"Frank!" Maes hollered, though slightly relieved that his brother wasn't walking towards his truck but down the road.

"Frank!" He barked again when he didn't get an answer. Good thing he had dealt with drunk guys in college, it made his reactions easier.

His brother finally paused long enough for him to catch up; a complete 180 written all over his face. They walked together for a while before Frank finally spoke. "I didn't…I didn't mean to hit him." He answered as if the fresh air had sobered him up.

"How many beers have you had tonight?" Maes asked quietly.

Frank kicked at a rock on the road. "Enough."

"Thought so, want to talk about it?" He knew that his brother had seemed a little off since he had come from Briggs.

"I got a promotion."

Well that was the last thing Maes expected his brother to say. "Isn't that usually a cause for celebration?"

Frank frowned, "My first reconnaissance mission out on the border as a captain and I lost two good men. I just…" He paused in step, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. "They were the same age as Wally dammit. Did you even see him tonight Maes? He jokes around like the service is some kind of game. Those guys, the ones that were killed, they were just like him…what if it had been him? Look at you, you're the smart one and yet some psycho manages to shoot you. How the hell am I supposed to watch out for the both of you when this shit comes out of nowhere?"

"Drinking yourself stupid and beating up your brother is your solution?"

The once distressed look began to ebb away to anger. "What would you do in my position, huh? Mom and dad's golden child is about to graduate from college and marry Gracia who might as well be a saint. What do I have? I can't get out of the military. I've been in long enough to know that I won't ever be able to live a normal life. And what about Wally? You think he is going to stay this way forever? The stupid kid is going to get himself killed and it will all be my fault because I'm his older brother and I let him join the fucking service!"

"You have to separate family from work Frank. You're home now, not at base. Now should be the time when you relax and just enjoy the time we do have together."

They continued to walk in silence until at last his brother seemed to cool. "Since when did you turn into the oldest brother?" Frank murmured.

Maes pushed his glasses back up his nose, "Nearly dying will age you pretty fast." He admitted.

The hand on his shoulder was unexpected but comforting. "You've been through a hell of a lot these past weeks; you shouldn't have to deal with a drunken brother too. Do you want to talk about what happened?"

He had been so focused on just recovering from his wounds that he hadn't really talked much about it at all. Drinking away his troubles was the easy solution but he had watched it destroy plenty of good men in the past. It was time he started to talk about the things he had seen, the things that had been done.

"We really do need to catch up huh?" Frank asked quietly.

Both of them had been through some pretty rough things. "That's what brothers are for."

Frank looked a little weary. "I think I'm still a little drunk, mind if we keep walking?"

Maes patted him on the back, "This road's long enough."

**(Riza)**

Roy had been an orphan for as long as he could remember and Riza, well she had considered herself an orphan when her mother passed away. They had nowhere to be, no family to open presents with, no real relatives to get drunk with but he decided this year would be different.

Riza laughed as Roy dragged her through the snowy streets, his carefree attitude making her feel a little less heavy about the holidays. It was Christmas and despite her earlier melancholy feelings toward the day she was beginning to change her mind. There was no reason why she shouldn't be happy today of all days.

"Where are you taking us?" She asked in exasperation as they rounded yet another corner.

An elderly couple admiring the lights that lined the shop fronts bid them a merry Christmas, Roy responded back enthusiastically with a tip of a nonexistent hat.

Roy tugged at her hand, their feet kicking up snow as he picked up their pace. “Come on Elizabeth, its getting late!”

When at last they slowed down Riza pulled his scarf so that he was facing her. "You best start explaining what's wrong with you."

He grinned. "It's Christmas, why is running happily through the streets wrong?"

She punched him in the shoulder. "Roy Mustang you are up to something."

"So what if I am?" He kissed her on the cheek. "Come on, it's cold out here."

Riza had barely followed him through the door when she realized just where they were. The familiar bar, unlike most places, was indeed open on Christmas. Madam Christmas herself looked rather festive with a sparkling red dress and a fluffy white boa for accent. A group of older men were playing a few classic Christmas tunes to the enjoyment of a small group of people swaying to the beat. She wasn't sure how she should react to this surprise. Should she be mad that he took her to a bar or should she believe he might want to spend time with her and his foster mom?

Roy hung up their coats before pulling her towards the main bar. "Two glasses of eggnog please."

Madam Christmas smiled widely at the two of them. "You know this old cash register just isn't working at the moment." She winked at them, "Suppose drinks are on the house for you two tonight."

Well that sneaky wit of Roy's had to come from somewhere and Riza believed she had found the original source. "I can't believe you have as many patrons tonight as you do." She remarked rather in awe of the number of people actually at the bar.

"Well my dear girl, there are an awful lot of people who don't want to be lonely today. I just make sure they have a place to go."

Roy stood up quickly, "Stay right there."

Madam Christmas's booming laugh barked over the band playing. "You make that boy giddier than a virgin on her wedding night."

Riza blushed heavily but her attention was on the quick departure of her boyfriend. Leaning over the bar to get closer to the older woman, she narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "What's he planning?"

"If I told you that it would ruin the surprise now wouldn't it?"

Sitting back on her stool she sipped at her eggnog, she didn't like dealing with suspense. The sound of a series of short barks drew her attention to the stairs on which Roy had disappeared a few minutes before. Her mouth hung open in shock…of all the crazy things. She had certainly not been expecting this. The black Husky pup in his arms had a large red bow around its neck and judging by the way it was trying to lick Roy's face, the two were acquainted.

"A dog?" She asked in confusion.

Her reluctant acceptance didn't appear to deter him in the least.

"You need someone to help watch out for you and all the girls. This here is Black Hayate and he was being trained as a guard dog, but as you can see he still could use a little more training." The dog stared happily at her, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. "But if you want him, he's all yours."

A dog wouldn't have been her first pick as a Christmas present but when she thought about Roy worrying about her and the girls enough to do this the idea began to thaw. Reaching forward she ruffled the dogs fur.

"Are you going to be a good dog?"

The pup barked happily at her attention and though she wasn't about to jump up and down in excitement she had a feeling she was already growing attached to the little guy. A few of the loners in the bar took to Hayate with ease, keeping him busy so that Riza was alone with Roy…as alone as they could be in a bar. "This explains why I found a bag of dog food in your car."

Roy looked amused. "What did you think it was for?"

Riza raised an eyebrow, "The things you make your pledges do, I learned a long time ago not to ask."

The jazz band struck up a smooth version of Silver Bells, the singer snapping his fingers along with the slow beat he crooned. It might have been the eggnog or it could have just been that it was Christmas, whatever the reason she didn't fight it as Roy pulled her to her feet and began to slow dance with her.

"I still have to give you your Christmas present." She reminded him.

He pulled her close, "Being with you, that's all I want."

Riza let her head fall onto his shoulder, a smile still tugging the corners of her lips up. “Me too.”

**(Miles)**

It was Christmas at the Armstrong's and the scene was breathtaking. Lights were strung majestically through the grounds, the layer of snow adding a pleasant glow to the scene. This was not a house; this was an estate and probably the largest in the country. Miles had come from a modest family where his single mom had worked double shifts to make ends meet. To be honest, his football scholarship was the reason he was even at Central University to begin with.

Fixing his tie for what seemed like the twentieth time he tried to push down the wave of nerves that threatened to overwhelm him. Just the size of the manner was enough to remind him that he and Olivier came from two very different worlds.

Olivier pulled the car up along the circle drive, leaving the keys in the ignition as a driver came to park their car.

"You're not getting cold feet now are you?" She asked observantly as he smoothed a hand over the hair on his head.

"No, not cold feet, but you have to admit this could be a rough night. Are you sure bringing me to your family's annual Christmas party is a good idea?"

There were sure to be a great number of rich and influential people at this party, a crowd in which he would stand out like a sore thumb. He had received stares because of his race on plenty of occasions since moving to Central and he had a sinking feeling his presence here wouldn't be a welcomed one.

She glared at him. "Are you questioning my decision?"

"People are going to talk if you bring someone who looks like an Ishvalan as your escort." He pointed out smartly.

Olivier looked livid and he wished he could rewind the moment just to salvage something out of this conversation. Straightening up to her full height, which in her elegant heels was equal to his, she rounded on him.

"You are going to escort me to this event or I will find a lovely corner in one of our gardens to bury your corpse."

He extended his arm for her to take knowing that particular death threat was her way of saying she didn't care what others thought.

"Well then, by all means, into the fray."

They were no sooner into the main foyer when a little blonde head bounded towards them, nearly knocking him off his feet.

"Sister! Miles!"

Little Catherine Armstrong beamed up at the two of them, Alex following in her wake.

"Miles it is such a pleasure to have you here in our home!" The larger man boasted as he too came to embrace him in a welcoming hug.

"Calm yourself Alex." Olivier suggested, cringing backwards to avoid contact.

Thankfully little Catherine was already pulling them towards the ballroom as someone took the coat from his hand.

"Where are your other two sisters?" He asked watching as Olivier's youngest sister took off towards the dance floor with Alex in tow.

She shrugged her shoulder's, "Entertaining, like the rest of my family."

Miles watched her face as she gazed out blankly into the sea of people, a slight wistfulness lurking behind that expression. After meeting her brother and sisters Miles understood the weight of being the eldest and the toll in took on her. While the others seemed filled with an extroverted heir of jubilance, Olivier remained statuesque and cold. But it was this hidden girl underneath all that poise that drew him to her like a moth to a flame.

"Careful, my father is headed this way." She observed.

The bearded man approached them in full military dress, the insignia marking his former glory years.

"At last, I was afraid you might not join us. Merry Christmas dear."

Olivier nodded curtly, as her father leaned in and kissed her on both cheeks.

"Yes, Merry Christmas father."

Miles wondered where in the world she learned to be so distant, her family certainly didn't hold back. "Ah! Miles my boy, we are delighted to have you escort our daughter this fine evening."

It would never cease to amaze him that people of the Armstrong's class could look into his eyes without flinching or glaring. They really were a different breed of people, not bad, just different.

"Thank you for having me here sir."

"You know you remind me of myself at your age. I too was a magnificent specimen of a man. I went into officer training early on and was promoted to colonel before the age of 25. The Armstrong name is famous in the military you see; in fact, I am most pleased to see both you and my dear Olivier are heading in the same direction in fact…"

Miles nodded his head and agreed at the proper moments. Olivier had warned him that her father was long winded about the family's military and personal history. Once he started Olivier told him he could  talk until he was blue in the face, but he Miles knew he wouldn’t have the heart to cut him off.

As the night wore on Olivier finally managed to disentangle him from the clutches of her family to score them some private time. They stood out on the balcony looking out at the incredible grounds that extended far beyond what the naked eye could see in the dark.

"Tell me about your family." She requested.

Olivier didn't ask personal questions often so he obliged her.

"You want to know if my parents were Ishvalan don't you?"

"Well, were they?"

He shook his head, "My grandfather was Ishvalan, seems the genes skipped over my mother and ended up with me. My father freaked out when I was born, thought my mother had cheated on him."

"Men can be fickle." Olivier remarked and Miles could envision the sort of things she would do to a man that betrayed her.

"You know, I don't remember much about him. Even after all these years my mother doesn't like to talk about him. So it’s just been the two of us for as long as I can remember."

"And you're not bitter?"

Miles thought about that, was he bitter towards a father that had abandoned him and his mother?

"Any man who would walk away from his wife and son isn't the kind of man I want in my life anyway. Besides, I turned out just fine.

Olivier suddenly turned her head away, her voice distant. "You were right."

"Hm?"

"You were right about us; we do come from two different worlds."

Miles put his hand over hers, leaning over the balcony to see into her eyes. "Then we'll just have to make our own world."

Olivier leaned slightly on him, her exhaling breath leaving a small cloud into the cold air.

"I love the way it looks after it snows. No mess, no dirt, just a clean slate. I think when I graduate, I'm going to request a position up north at Briggs."

Miles couldn't help but grin, he had been talking to Maes brother about heading up there for some time now. But to this day Olivier had always insisted that Central was where she belonged. To him, Briggs was one of the few places were a man was as good as his hands could make him. A place where a name meant little; a place where no glass ceiling could hold someone back from reaching the top.

“Funny, that’s exactly where I was planning on going."

"Good." She stood back from the railing, "I hear it can get lonely up there, I'll need someone to stand by my side."

Miles took the opening and stepped forward, kissing her firmly on the mouth.

"I'll need someone to keep me warm; I'm not used to the cold." He whispered against her mouth.

Olivier laughed, her eyes holding that strange twinkle. "I'll do my best."

**(Rose)**

The trip had so many firsts for her that Rose had begun to lose count. It was her first ride on an airplane, her first time staying at a hotel without her parents, first time gambling, and first time getting married at a cheesy 24-hour chapel of love.

She held her hand up in the air, the plastic ring sparkling with fake gems embedded in the band. Leto was fast asleep; the covers draped over his backside as he lay on his stomach, his hair messed around in a halo over his head. Pulling the covers over her shoulders she turned on her side away from him, ignoring the strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. This was the man who had cheated on his girlfriend to have a one-night stand with her, a drunken freshman. This was Leto, an infamous playboy who lived on the edge and only thought of himself and yet there he was. A boy, a scared boy afraid of dying and of being lonely.

How many times had she envisioned her wedding as a little girl? She had pictured the beautiful church she and her parents attended adorned with her favorite flowers, the perfect dress, and the perfect husband. Surrounded by family she would declare he love for that man to God above. Pushing the ring off her finger she rolled it in the palm of her hand. She had been a very different girl back then, who was she now? The girl that betrayed her big sister and got kicked out of her sorority only to take back her spot when the tables were turned, a girl who had been called a whore and by the number of guys she had slept with it was hardly a stretch. Yawning, she rolled out of bed. Angsty thoughts had a way of keeping one awake even if they did feel tired. Looking back at Leto she sighed, no matter how many things there were that told her this was all wrong she still didn't regret her decision. Her roommate had almost died and she wasn't even sick! Here was the first man she had ever loved and neither of them knew how long he would be around for, people had gotten married at a younger age for a lot less.

The sound of coughing alerted her attention quickly. "Leto?" She knelt on the bed next to him.

He sat up, his body heaving with coughs until at last his hand drew away from his mouth. Rose cringed at the blood in his palm and the way his complexion paled to a grayish white.

"M'alright." He mumbled before exiting towards the bathroom where she heard his repeated coughs.

After room service had dropped off some breakfast, they sat looking at each other from across the small table. He reached across and grabbed her hand, rubbing his thumb over the cheap wedding band.

"So pretty girl, any regrets?"

Rose had been thinking about that ever since she said 'I do' to a small crowd of other couples waiting in line to get hitched.

"Yes." She answered watching as his lips thinned. "I should have gone with my first instinct and ordered waffles instead of pancakes." She leaned forward and kissed him, "You mean do I regret marrying you? That's silly; of course, I don't regret it."

He smiled but it faded far too quickly.

"I never thought I'd get a chance to marry someone."

"Yeah, well looks like you're stuck with me now." She replied optimistically ignoring the darker themes of his admission. "Although if we just got married what are we doing sitting around a table? I was under the impression newlyweds barely left the bed."

He scooped her up in his arms. "Let's never go back to Central. Let's run away, you and I Mrs. Thomas…or should I say Mrs. Taylor."

"Say it again." She asked breathlessly as he gently set her on the bed.

"Let's run away." He replied huskily.

"No." She leaned upwards and nibbled on his ear, "Say my name."

He grinned at her, "Mrs. Taylor?"

She laughed happily, pretending that she wasn't too young, that this wasn't a bad idea, that they knew exactly what they were doing.

**(Winry)**

"You did what?" Winry asked in horror, her hand clenching around the cell phone.

Maybe she had heard her wrong; she didn't get that great of reception out here.

"We got hitched last night, Christmas eve. You would have cried, it was everything and more!" Rose gushed over the phone.

Nope, she had heard her all right. Winry sat down on the sofa, her head spinning. Trying not to sound pessimistic she tried to pace her words to make sure they came out right.

"You just decided to get married on a whim; have you told your parents?"

There was a moment of silence before Rose spoke. "No, you're the first one we've told so far."

"I would suggest you tell them in person." She admitted feeling sorry for the Thomas's who would probably simultaneously have a heart attack at the news that their daughter was not studying up at school but off on a wild week stay in Creta where she had gotten hitched to her boyfriend of over a little more than a month.

Rose began to giggle, "Leto…stop it…I'm on the phone!"

Winry frowned, this was worse than she thought.

"Winry I got to go, I'll talk to you later. Merry Christmas, bye!"

Holding the phone in front of her in disbelief she shook her head, "Bye."

"Who was that?" Edward asked extending a cup of coffee out towards her as he joined her on the couch.

"A complete idiot." She replied after thanking him for the drink. "What are you doing up, it's still early." The time difference between here and Creta were no issue to Rose but it was barely seven in the morning here in Resembool.

"Heard you come down here, thought you could use some company."

All thoughts of Rose left her mind as she looked at Edward sitting next to her in his pajamas, his hair lying down across his shoulders.

His eyes flickered to her lips before meeting her gaze again.

Winry could feel the heat in her cheeks as he moved closer. It still felt weird that she could kiss him, but it was a good weird. Leaning forward she touched his cheek before she kissed him. Setting down their glasses she threaded her hands through his hair as he wrapped his arms around her back. One of his hands slowly trailed down her spine until she moaned into his mouth. Embarrassment flooded her face as she realized how loud she was being.

Edward grinned like it was the best compliment in the world. Winry rolled her eyes.

"Merry Christmas Winry." Wrapping his arms around her again she felt her hair being pushed to the side and a tiny weight falling around her neck.

Startled she looked down at the necklace he had stealthy latched around her neck. Holding it up she saw the Kappa Delta letters hanging off the gold chain and found herself speechless. "Ed?"

"I did good, right?" He smirked.

Feeling amused she held the charm up in the light, "Yeah, you did good Ed."

"I noticed you didn't have one and I know you don't usually wear jewelry, but Al said it would look pretty on you and it does." He coughed nervously, "So what did you get for me?" He asked excitedly.

Winry stood up quickly her own excitement building. "You’re present is downstairs."

**(Edward)**

He had skipped over the hormonal teenage years, his mind caught up in other things. But now that he was lying down on a table clad only in his boxers while Winry leaned over him, he was beginning to think his body was trying to make up for lost time. The shiny golden lavaliere around her neck was his best distraction. That was all for nothing as she sat up and that dainty necklace sat right between a generous amount of cleavage in that nightgown of hers.

When she was done checking his current automail she smiled widely, "I knew my measurements were correct. Ok, now you can see it." She handed him another leg and arm automail piece, but they were different than the ones he currently had.

"What is it?" He asked curiously.

She beamed not at him but at her precious work.

"It's cold weather automail for the winter. Now your ports won't hurt as badly and the skin around them is less susceptible to frost bite!"

"It definitely feels lighter." He replied trying not to bait her into an argument by insulting her work.

She looked deflated, "You don't like it?"

Ed knew how seriously she took her work; he also knew that he was an idiot for not noticing before how much time she spent specifically on his.

"It's brilliant Win."

Edward wanted to kiss her, it seemed like such a natural thing to do that he didn’t overthink it. As he moved in to kiss her he noticed that he was still only clad in his boxers, and that nightgown of hers… was it even lower than before? A tiny voice in the back of his head exploded in excitement screaming at him that no one else was awake, they were alone in the basement, he was half dressed already and she was…she was looking at him like she knew exactly what he was thinking but instead of backing away she was moving closer.

"Edward…"

That was all it took for him to lose it.

All his years' worth of pent up frustration, the time he had spent dreaming about her, time spent dreaming about a moment like this coupled with the heat of the holiday and it only took her saying his name to set him off.

He wasn't exactly sure of himself but she followed his lead. He lifted her up against the work bench, his hands grasping at the satiny material of her sleepwear. Winry leaned into him her teeth sucking on his lower lip. Things were out of control but neither of them was going to back down. While pushing her down onto the work table he noticed the stairway light to the basement.

Wait a second; he had turned it off when they had come downstairs…

"EDWARD ELRIC, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY GRANDAUGHTER?"

"Oh shit."

It looked worse than it was, or at least that was what he and Winry had been pleading all morning. He was sure if it wasn't Christmas the old hag would have castrated him right there on the spot.

Winry had kept busy around the house, avoiding his attention. Edward was a little peeved at her at the moment, why wasn't she being held responsible too? She was the one that had made him strip down to his boxers!

He was stewing in self-pity when Den began to bark at the front door, the sound of a few heavily placed knocks cracking upon the wood. From his seat in the living room he could hear Winry call out for someone to get it.

Walking sluggishly towards the door he didn't bother to check who it was. Opening up the door he felt the blood drain from his face. The visitor had barely managed a hello before he slammed the door in his face.

"Ed?" Winry asked as he flopped back down in a chair. "Ed, who was at the door?"

"No one." He frowned pretending to get lost in the newspaper in front of him.

She took a half step towards the door, "But I heard someone knock-"

"I wouldn't open that door if I were you." He warned her.

She huffed loudly looking irritated. "You can be such a brat Edward."

Opening the door she suddenly seemed to understand his position. Her voice sounded small and confused, "Mr. Hohenheim?"

The older man stepped through the door, "Ho ho ho...uh Merry Christmas?" He offered sheepishly.

 


	19. New Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Resolutions are made and secrets are revealed.

**(Edward)**

It didn't take a genius to figure out who was behind this debacle. Either Al or the old lady had something to do with Hohenheim showing up for the holidays. Feeling spiteful and angry he turned his back on the welcoming scene and made his way upstairs to the guest room where he had taken up residence. A small part of him wondered why his dad would even bother coming, even if there had been an invitation. Lying down on the bed he fumed in silence until he heard the stairs creek and the door open.

"Can I come in?" Winry asked hesitantly from the doorway.

“It’s your house, you can do whatever you want.”

Taking up a seat next to him on the bed she let out a breath of air as if she knew exactly why he was up there. "Dinners almost ready."

It wasn't an easy choice to make when his stomach was involved, but he had to make it.

"If  _he's_  going to be there, then I'll pass." He could hear the arrogance in his voice, but holiday or not he wasn't about to give the rotten bastard a chance.

She drummed her fingers on her knee before exhaling. "I know you can't forgive him, but maybe for your brother, for me, you could at least join us for dinner?"

"Tempting, but no."

Standing up it looked like she was going to give up on it but then something strange happened. Planting herself in front of him she placed one hand on his thigh, leaning forward with the other to brush his bangs out of his face.

Edward felt something stir, like he was really looking at her and understanding. Something about the way she touched him, like it was natural to show physical affection, that neither nerves or boundaries were staked between them. Just one touch evoked a different kind of feeling, other than bitterness and built up animosity. There was such a contrast to the way she made him feel that he almost second guessed his decision to stay away…almost.

There was a flicker of a smile before she stood up straight and put a hand on her hip. Edward thought Winry was giving him a coy smile; as if she might offer herself up as a plea bargain.

He could have considered that a low blow, but he was not going to complain about this newfound territory between them. He groaned as she backed away towards the door leaving him _wanting_.

The smile on her face dipped a little as he stayed where she had left him.

"Please come down for dinner."

He wanted to say yes, he wanted to trail right after her, but his stubbornness held fast. This wasn't the sort of problem that could be fixed with the emotion of the season or even an apology of sorts. The rift that had been pulling his father and him apart for years made it hard to remember a time when it wasn't there to begin with.

She didn't leave right away, her body still lingered at the threshold of the room as if she were still waiting. Winry could fix a hell of a lot of things but he thought he should really save her the trouble and let her know there was no way to make this right.

Her head turned away but he heard her just fine.

"You might not know what you're giving up, but I do. Is it that hard to just try?"

He didn't answer because it wasn’t a question.

The blonde fringe that covered her eyes sent a shadow over her turned face making it impossible to see her expression. But when she spoke it felt like she was looking right through him.

"I would give anything just to be able to see my dad again. It’s just dinner Edward."

It was a truth he couldn't deny, a truth that made him feel guilty and low for choosing to stay.

The intoxicating smells that were wafting upstairs made his stomach growl as her footsteps retreated into the hallway and down the stairs.

How could he explain the kind of animosity he felt towards his father without rubbing it in her face that he still had a father to feel something towards? He was fighting a losing battle by trying to ignore her logic, and the evidence was stacked against him.

Storming down the stairs in a huff Edward didn't make eye contact as he sat at the dinner table. These traitors had better appreciate the amount of effort it took for him to sit down at the same table as the bastard. It proved to be nearly impossible to ignore that Cheshire like cat grin on Al's face and the relieved look on Winry's.  _Stupid Hohenheim_. It really did irk him the way he sat there, like he belonged, like he was with family.

Ed stuffed his face more to escape the idea of having to carry on a conversation than to feed his stomach which felt oddly foreign.

**(Hohenheim)**

There were a lot of things he disapproved of when it came to Edward. The perpetual defiance had grown tiresome and though he understood its manifestation, he couldn't seem to fight it. He was a man of reason but this was unchartered territory and he often felt as if he were adrift at sea with all he didn’t understand about his son.

Maybe he did understand that he was responsible for a majority of his son's problems, but did that forfeit him the right to make amends? He couldn't help but wonder if he could ever atone enough to earn the love or even respect of his eldest son.

Still, this was Christmas and he was sitting down for dinner with his sons and that in itself was rather remarkable. Despite the hostile hello, Hohenheim settled into a familiar conversation with Pinako and was relieved to find his old friend at least still wanted to speak with him.

While he slowly chewed on his food, savoring every bit, he had time to really take it all in. It wasn't obvious at first, but the longer he spent time with them the clearer it became. Observing the table he noticed that Pinako's granddaughter had become a young woman, much like her mother at that age but with a subtle spark. There was no doubt she was more than her mother’s twin, she was a hard shelled Rockbell at her core.

Those weren’t the only things that seemed to have changed. It seemed the barriers around his son were down around her, did she know? His suspicions about the two of them appeared to be coming to fruition the longer he studied them. It was almost relieving to see the budding relationship move along between the two of them. How on earth did his son manage to land such a brilliant and independent woman? Then again he always thought Trisha had no business liking him back in the day.

As they ate a quiet Christmas dinner, he mulled over the subtle changes between them. There were the hesitant glances and the lingering touches when they thought no one was looking. It was all very sweet and innocent, that is until later on when Pinako dropped the bomb on him.

"They did what?" He wasn't a simpleton, he understood what she had said. He just couldn't fathom the idea of his eldest son pursuing that sort of relationship. It shouldn't have surprised him, college did have a way of aging people, but he had always labored under the idea that his son was a bit behind in that area.

Pinako refilled his glass along with her own. "Never thought the boy had it in him. You know the last time he was here with my granddaughter for Thanksgiving they were as awkward as two left feet."

Hohenheim drummed his fingers against his empty glass, the bottle of scotch practically gone between the two of them. Old habits really do die hard. "I don't know what to say to that boy anymore." He confessed feeling a little flustered.

"What is it that you want him to know?" The old woman mused, still working on her glass.

He took his time refilling his drink with the last of what the bottle had to offer. "I should have been there for him when his mother died, but I was too wrapped up in my own pain. I thought I was spairing him when I put distance between up, but all I ended up doing was hurting him in the end."

Pinako chuckled eyeing him carefully, "You act like the boy is dead Van, it's time to give up the excuses and do what you have to do. It's not over till its over."

He raised a brow at her. "You're quick to point fingers."

Her gaze turned stern, her voice like that of a chiding mother. "I care about those boys Van and no matter how old they get, they still need a father to be there for them. You are the only family they have besides each other. That’s what being a parent is, sacrificing yourself for their well being."

The old woman had a real knack for getting to the bottom of matters with exceeding ease, no matter what she drudged up on her way there.

"I came all this way to be with them for Christmas and you saw how Edward reacted." He tried to plead his case.

"The both of you love to hold onto guilt like it's your best friend. He's not going to forgive you overnight, just like he can't forgive himself. These things take time. I'm not saying time will do the trick, but if you put in the effort, over time, you will see a change. Take it from someone who watched their son taken before their time; you don't want to live knowing there are things left unsaid."

It was easy to forget that such a strong woman had such pain lingering in her memories. Sometimes he found his memories unbearable when they turned to the death of his wife and those of his friends. But lately he had feared the memories he had missed, the ones he would miss out on if he continued to let this opportunity pass him by. After a few rounds of poker and the last of her scotch they decided to call it night. With the taste of alcohol still on his tongue he thought he might find sleep, but the slow ticking of the living room clock made it hard to forget that he couldn't let this linger forever.

**(Winry)**

The howling of the wind cracked a shutter against the siding stirring her from her sleep. Groaning, she turned over a few times before getting up. Slipping out of bed she pulled a sweatshirt on and straightened out the pair of boxers she was wearing before heading downstairs. She might as well get something done if she was up. Pausing at the bottom of the stairs she looked on curiously at the light still on. Sitting at the dining room table was a middle-aged man, his long amber colored hair tied back behind his head, a few stray strands hanging loosely around his face. The beard and aged features were distinctive of Ed's father but somehow, she had failed before to really see how closely the two of them really looked. Stepping closer she noticed his gaze on a picture, one she had seen hung up on the bulletin board in the entrance hallway. A loose board in the flooring creaked and she was now looking into a pair of curious gold eyes. How had she never noticed that similarity between him and Ed before?

Feeling embarrassed at having been caught staring at him she tried to explain. "Oh, I didn't know anyone was still up."

He smiled up at her, nothing like the cruel man Ed had described to her. "Suppose the storm woke you up too?"

She nodded taking a seat across from him. There was a silence between them as they sized each other up. For two strangers they knew an awful lot about one another.

"You look just like her you know; besides your smile, you get that from your dad." He commented once he caught her staring at the photo of a younger version of both her and Ed's mothers smiling at the camera.

"Did you know them, my parents?" She asked as more of an afterthought when she realized he must have.

His fingers brushed over the dark-haired woman's face, a nameless sorrow emanating from his eyes. "I did."

"How did you meet?" She asked hoping to grasp onto something more than a picture to remind her that they really had been real.

The skin around his eyes crinkled in the corners as he smiled at her. "Urey, your father, was my roommate in college."

Suddenly the room was very small and Ed's dad was the center of her universe as even the smallest facts drew her in. Granny spoke of her parents sometimes, but college? It pained her that her only knowledge of her parents in college was the fact that her mother was an Alpha Zeta. There had to be more, so much more that she should know.

"It's funny how things turn out. Your poor mom got stuck with me after a date dash."

She couldn't stifle the gasp that left her lips, "You went out with my  _mom_?" She really hoped he wasn't going to tell her something she would regret asking about.

He chuckled, "I was a Delta Tau and she was an Alpha Zeta, they practically try to breed us. Your mother was brilliant and beautiful which is why chickened out and forced Urey to go with me. Turns out your mom was thinking along the same lines as I was and ended up bringing her roommate along." He pointed at Trisha in the picture. "I’ll be honest once your dad saw your mom, I knew I was out of the picture." He laughed again as she frowned in sympathy. "Don't feel sorry for me if it wasn't for your mom giving me the cold shoulder, I would have never met Trisha."

Winry looked longingly at the picture, wishing her mom were sitting across from her talking about all this. Growing up she had managed to push away the ache of their absence, but as she began to follow in her parents’ footsteps it was getting harder and harder to not feel as if she really had been cheated.

The smile began to fade from his features, "You probably don't want to hear an old man's tale-"

"Don't!" She blushed at her own outburst. "I mean, please, I’d love to know more ." She asked in a soft plea.

"What do you want to know?"

She leaned her head into the palm of her hand. "Everything."

The older man nodded and continued to talk as she hung on to his every word. He told her about how he and Urey had risked getting kicked out of school to trigger a fire alarm that postponed an exam long enough for Trisha and Sara to study off the last of their nerves. He mentioned something about being foolish and young but Winry couldn't hide her amusement. As if reliving the memories' in his head he would sometimes laugh or grin when noting a particularly funny or stupid thing that had happened. She watched as his face lit up with the highs and lows of his memories. He would pause every now and then as if expecting her to grow tired or bored with his ramblings but he couldn't be any more wrong. She just stared, the need for more obvious from her wide eyed and hopeful smile.

But the longer he talked and the more she knew, the harder it was to stop thinking about what would happen when he didn't have any more to say. She knew the story was going to end soon but that didn't stop her from wanting him to keep going. He spoke of how nervous her dad had been before asking her mom to marry him, how together they had gone to spend a year abroad studying medicine in poverty-stricken areas in Aerugo. It wasn't until he began to talk about Resembool that the tears finally caught up with her.

And then they were just two people again, two people that had lost a great deal in a short amount of time.

He looked somber with regret. "I'm sorry, I've upset you."

She shook her head, wiping at her eyes with the sleeve of her sweatshirt. "Sometimes-" Her breathing hitched, "Sometimes I forget what their voices sound like, what moms perfume smelled like, but you- you remember them so clearly. You make me feel like I do too."

The lines in his face deepened with an age her parents never lived to see. "It's the least I can do." He offered. "Especially after what you've done for my son."

How this kind man could ever be capable of leaving his family behind just didn't make any sense to her anymore.

"But I haven't done anything." She protested not wanting to take credit where it wasn't due.

"You don't see it do you? At the beginning of this year I gave up on my own son. He had been in a coma for so long and the doctors were convinced it was already the end. Then there was Edward, squandering away his life as if he didn't really want to live anymore."

His larynx moved as his mouth twitched, "And then they meet you and Alphonse is going to graduate from high school and Edward, well he’s grown up."

Winry looked away, the force of his words rendering her speechless.

His voice dropped a degree, a softer tone emerging. "We, Trisha and I, always said if anything were to ever happen, we would help take care of you when your parents went off to war. What would they think if they could see you now, see that it's you taking care of me and my mistakes?"

Winry brushed away the rest of the tears, "I wish you would talk to Ed."

He fidgeted in his seat, looking almost as if he were ashamed of himself. "I don't know where to begin."

"It's almost the New Year; isn't that the perfect place to begin?"

His eyes widened behind his glasses before he sighed, his lips turning upwards in acknowledgment. "Wise girl, must be the Rockbell in you."

The name had a new kind of strength to it, "You really think so?"

"I know so."

**(Edward)**

He was being spoiled rotten with these home cooked meals; going back to dorm room food was going to be hell. It was only around eight in the morning and she already had breakfast waiting for him and his brother. It didn't look like she had gotten much sleep and yet she was smiling as if she had awakened anew.

Something had changed overnight; he knew immediately from the look on Winry's face. The whole scene wouldn't have been so unwelcoming had she not been extending that pleasant smile towards everyone in the house. Somehow the coolness between her and his dad seemed to have dissipated.

Feeling a little betrayed as both her and Al laughed at something his father had mentioned he pushed his chair back and abruptly stood from the table. He had lost his appetite.

A chorus of confused calls followed him as he ignored each one, put on his shoes and walked out. Pushing his hands deep down in his pockets he hadn't realized where he was headed until he was there. Looking up at the skeleton of a tree on the hill he frowned at the spot where his childhood house had once stood, the place he had once called home.

Sitting down in the grass he leaned against the trunk of the Oak, feeling the bark through his sweatshirt. This thing with his dad, he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold on to it. Just seeing him there, acting as if nothing had ever happened made his fists curl.

"Thought I'd find you here."

"Speak of the fucking devil. " He mumbled in irritation.

"Edward, language." His father admonished him, though it sounded more like an observation than an order.

Of all the places in the world, they had to meet here. If it had been anywhere else he could have walked away.

"I thought you should know- no one called me to come here. I heard about you going home with Winry and called her gran to see if I could at least join you for the holiday."

For whatever reason that unsettled him more.

"What gives you the right to pretend like you give a shit? What, now that Al's healed you think you can come back into our lives?" He got to his feet aware that his body seemed as ready for a fight as he was.

"Your mother always knew what to say to you boys, always knew what the right thing to do was. I know you don't want to hear excuses, but I didn't leave because I wanted to Edward…I left because I had to. You were looking to me for answers and I didn't have any."

His father had never tried to explain himself before, but Edward wasn't going to budge.

"And what about after, huh? You couldn't stand to be home after she died and you know it. You abandoned us just like you abandoned her."

His father's jaw clenched; his face wrinkled like he was in pain.

"I turned to my work because it was the easy thing to do. Because at the end of the day you wanted your mother and I couldn't face the fact that I would never be able to do that for you. Can you forgive an old man's blindness?"

Without thinking about it, he swung and swung hard. The sound of his fist making contact with his father's face struck him as a cruel blow, but he didn't particularly care. Breathing heavily, the oldest Elric brother pulled his arm back, afraid he might lash out again.,

"You say you couldn't give up on mom. But what about us? We were just little kids! How could you have given up on us?"

Hohenheim adjusted the glasses on his face, the slight bend in their frame not helping any.

Edward waited for the blow back and he was so certain of his hatred of the man he felt almost cheated at the defeat in his fathers eyes.

"If you hate me, I understand. I just need you to know that I have and always will care for you and your brother more than my own life."

Words tend to lose their meaning when paired with a history of inaction.

"Don't expect this to change things between us." Edward said and yet his anger had deflated at hearing his father say words he had been hoping for. It must be in the DNA between a father and son that certain oaths of love create a kind of truce.

"I know, but as one guilty man to another, at some point you have to let it go."

Frowning, Edward uncrossed his arms. He could easily say he forgave the man and try to get back all the years of hurt, but his pain still felt fresh.

"And what if I can't just let it all go?"

His father was taking a big chance by clapping a hand to his shoulder, but Edward didn't think hitting him again would do any good.

"Then you'll turn into a bitter old man, you'll turn into the thing you hate most…me."

Edward opened and shut his mouth several times before he watched his father sigh and look away at the crumbled foundation. The hot air that had been building inside of him began to rush out, leaving a hollow shell.

"Oh, and Edward."

He raised his eyebrows, there was more? "What?"

The older man smiled serenely. "Next time you try anything funny with that sweet girl, at least make sure her grandmother isn't in the room next door."

Ed sputtered for a moment but the bastard was already walking away. Looking back at the empty plot of land he stuffed his hands back into his pockets and sighed. He had been robbed of his anger, so what now? Like a compass without a direction he felt like he was spinning aimlessly.

There was no book of human emotions that could help him decipher what their history meant or what the future might look life. But as he thought of what it all meant he thought of what it might feel like if he wasn't there at all. He thought of Winry and the distant outlines of scars she had yet to reveal.  _"I would give anything just to be able to see my dad again."_ For someone who had lost both of her parents she didn't hide behind anger or spite. Instead she was a picture of determination and focus. She was following in their footsteps, doing everything in her power to help those around her. He wasn't sure he could forgive his father just yet, but he knew he was going to have to learn that he was lucky enough to have the chance.

**(Leto)**

He had grown used to the simple idea that at some point everything that starts must stop. With their bags packed and the euphoria of their elopement slowly fading he knew this was the place at which it could stop. The snow fell heavily around them as they waited painstakingly for the taxi driver to load up their luggage and allow them to hop in the backseat. Rose clutched her jacket tightly around her thin frame, the cold of Central hitting them hard in comparison to the balmy weather they had experienced in Creta.

It was quiet inside the cab as they both sat lost in thought. It had been his idea to surprise her parents on New Year's Eve, but he had a feeling she was dreading every second that brought them closer to the truth. Rose didn't have the same attitude about it all that he did. She worried about the future while he was content to just live in the present. He saw no use in stressing about what might happen it was better to just go with it.

He put a calming hand on her bouncing knee. "Are you going to be ok?"

She stilled under his touch her eyes darting to his. "I feel kind of sick." She admitted looking a little pale.

This was uncharted territory for him; his parents didn't really care what he did. From what he had learned from Rose, her parents were strict in their upbringing and demanded a strong sense of religious morality. Part of him quaked at the idea of approaching these straight edge folks to tell them he had eloped with their daughter. But the larger and more dominate part of his personality could care less what they ended up thinking. All that mattered was the space between him and Rose and where it would take them.

"Do you feel nauseous or is it just nerves?"

She shrugged, "Both?"

"Think you can make it? We only have a little longer until we're in Central."

Rose tucked a strand of pink hair behind her ear leaning back against the seat, "You really want to do this now?"

Part of him would rather they not tell them at all, but he knew she would resent him if she had to keep this a secret. "We have to tell them sometime, but if you're not feeling up to it we can always do it tomorrow."

"Whatever." Her lips thinned a little as she closed her eyes. "Let's just get this over with."

The look on their faces was priceless, maybe even ridiculously predictable from where he stood. Rose had just introduced him to her parents…as her husband. Mrs. Thomas had nearly fainted at the word husband while Mr. Thomas stood wide eyed and furious. For being a religious family, he was surprised that Rose's father took the lords name in vain quite a few times before taking a seat in the living room. No one really invited them inside, but they made themselves comfortable as if they had. So much for a happy surprise.

Seated on opposite sides of the living room Leto could have charged them all a hefty fee for his ability to see into the future. He knew the next words that would come out a father's mouth towards a couple that had just gotten hitched.

"Married? Rose what on earth made you think this was a good idea? Are you pregnant?" Her father asked his accusing eyes trained on Leto.

The whole thing felt sort of surreal so maybe that's why he didn't mind what the man said. "No worries there pop, the odds of me getting any one pregnant are actually pretty small with my medical condition."

Mrs. Thomas looked scandalized, "So you don't deny you've been having intercourse with my daughter?"

Intercourse? The way she said it made him feel dirty, like some kind of old lecher.

"Mom!" Rose protested looking like she wanted the couch to swallow her whole.

His bravado began to ebb as he noticed the pain mirroring out from the agonized parents in front of him and the guilty daughter next to him. It occurred to him that she had just taken a leap of faith for him, one in which he was rudely shoving back in her face. When all was said and done, she would need people like them around.

Clearing his throat, he shifted slightly, "I know this seems rushed but I have only the best of intentions with your daughter. We're serious about each other and I plan on fulfilling my vows with or without your approval."

"Excuse me? I'm sorry, best of intentions is it? I don't even know your name. In fact, I had no idea Rose was even dating." Mr. Thomas looked livid. "Rose, an explanation please."

"Daddy, I love him." She said it in such a childish way that Leto actually looked to see who had said it.

Leaning his elbows on his knees he covered his mouth with his hands. This was spiraling out of control fast.

"Like you even know what love is? You're only 18 years old!" He pronounced as he wildly gestured with his hands, his evil eye not on his daughter but on the stranger in their midst.

Leto didn't blame the guy; he had gone off and eloped with his only daughter.

"You don't understand, I had to…Leto's dying." Rose blurted out.

That snapped both of her parent's attention back to him, their mouths hanging open slightly.

"He'll wish he was dead if he knows what's good for him." Mr. Thomas replied sarcastically.

"Charles!" Mrs. Thomas scolded her husband looking scandalized. "We had no idea." Her hand reached out towards him but Leto backed away as if he had been burned. Feeling irritated by both the sympathy and skepticism he was receiving he stood.

"Well it was nice meeting you two." He managed to make it out the front door before he lost it, his hands clenching and unclenching by his sides.

Someone had followed him, "Leto, please come back inside."

He rounded on the girl feeling hurt. "Why'd you say it?"

Something in her expression broke. "I don't know, I just- I blanked and it just sort of slipped out. I swear I didn't mean for it to come out like it did."

"You really can't stand up to them about this can you?"

She shoved him hard looking furious, "And what do you want me to say?"

"I don't know, I guess I expected you to tell them that you loved me and that was enough. Instead you used my condition as an excuse to your parents, as if you needed to explain how on earth a girl like you could have married me!" He shouted back ignoring the shortness of breath he felt. "Like I'm some kind of charity deal."

"Let's just go." She admitted looking tired.

"So soon? Don't you want to drag me back in there and explain how this is only a temporary thing? Don't you want to tell them that I might not even make it to graduation?"

Her mouth opened and shut, no words coming out. Finally, with a sigh she held her hands out in a surrendering gesture, "I don't want to fight with you Leto. Let's just go."

He was going to continue his rant when he felt a shortness of breath take over. Holding his hand to his chest he pounded hard, trying to cough up the blockage. Feeling slightly light headed he tried again but he couldn't seem to get a good breath in. A panicked Rose held onto his arm. "Leto? Leto!"

Without any air he couldn't find his voice to explain what he needed. Fumbling in his pockets he finally managed to pull out his specialized inhaler, his body shaking in its own panic. It took a few intakes but soon he was at least able to take short gasps. Rose sagged against him looking fatigued, "Leto…"

He cleared his throat and slowly straightened his hunched posture, "Let's go."

Reality had a way of biting you in the ass when you get too lost in dreams; the coughing fits were getting worse. As they rode in the back of a cab towards campus, he couldn't stop from overthinking everything. At the beginning of each year the usual predicament was thinking about all that had passed and deciding how to continue on. He thought about his tumultuous year starting with his presidency in Delta Tau to his uncontrollable desires when it came to women and the number of signatures on those fraternity walls that resulted from a culmination of one-night stands. Status symbols that had once left him feeling high now felt like a chain linking him to someone he used to be.

A part of him felt like a caged beast as he looked back on those days of carefree drinking, women, and easy thrills. Growing up for him had always served as a benchmark for the future he was never going to have. With his deteriorating health he had never set much in store in terms of stepping up to the plate or maturing, it just didn't seem to matter.

His brothers had been on the outskirts of his coming of age moment these past few months. He wondered how they would react to the news that he had married Rose and how they would feel when he exposed his condition. Those weren't the kind of secrets brothers kept form one another and despite everything, they had helped him get through a rough time.

Determination was his ally for the moment. Graduation was a year away and with luck he would sit at his own commencement and look towards whatever of his life was left to live. Rose shifted in the seat next to him, her hand sneaking across the space between them to hover over his for a moment before he allowed her to intertwine their hands.

She had really changed the way he looked at things, the way he existed in this world. The problem with changing things is that something has to give in order to get. Her family was a devout, worshipping picture of perfection while his was a collage of broken dreams and low expectations. When they arrived at his fraternity house he brought her with him, unsure when the true collision of their worlds would hit but prepared to spend as much time as he could with her before it did.

Prior to even the scene at Roses parents' house, he should have known today was going to be a bad day. There was a dull ache covering his face, the feverish pulse at his temples making his head spin. Lying over the side of the bed with his head down, he turned on the vibrating mechanism and waited. Glancing at the clock on his bedside table he figured the whole 20 minutes would probably be best considering the incident. This was the side of his life he knew scared Rose, even worse than his party boy days. There were a few different treatment methods but this one seemed to drain out his lungs the best. He wasn't too pleased about having to do this on a regular basis but he would be damned if he had to ware that ridiculous mask and adorn a vest at the hospital.

It didn't take long for his body to respond, the coughing fits reaching their peak. Not the most pleasant process, but if he could escape going into the hospital for treatment it would suffice. He had been living life in the fast lane and now it was catching up with him.

Rose sat diligently next to him trying to distract him but he couldn't get Doctor Marcoh's words out of his head as he tried to treat himself. This method wasn't a cure; it was a temporary relief and nothing more. He needed a lung transplant, but the board had already analyzed his case and he had fallen quite a way down on the list. In his rush to live life on the wild side, he had inadvertently signed his own death certificate. Go figure.

He knew she wanted to go out somewhere and bring in the New Year with style, but he just couldn't find the strength. The question sat unanswered between them, what did a young and sick married couple do? His solution was to forget everything-which is exactly what the bottle of tequila helped them to do. The New Year passed and all their problems were still there. Resolutions or not, he knew nothing good lasts, even if it had barely begun.

**(Gracia)**

"I know what you're up to Maes Hughes."

Maes looked up at the pretty girl. "What?" He asked in mock innocence.

Gracia shook her head in an amusement, "You better fess up before I have to weasel it out of you."

He grinned wickedly at her, "How do you plan to do that?"

"Really, this early in the morning? Get a room." Wally moaned in irritation.

Undeterred Maes laughed, "Jealousy will get you nowhere."

"Yeah, when I want to settle down to a life of dull monotony, I'll let you know." He replied unenthusiastically.

Wally rolled his eyes and Gracia noted that his sense of humor had dimmed in the past week. Ever since the incident before Christmas, Wally and Frank hadn't been acting like themselves. You would be hard pressed to see them talking in the same vicinity yet alone even standing in the same room.

All things considered it was strange for her to see Maes acting as if nothing were out of place, as if he were happily enjoying the present moment. Well she wasn't stupid; she was going to figure out one way or another just what was going on in that head of his.

"You just haven't met the right girl." He argued against his brother before kissing her on the cheek.

"So, what's gotten in to you?" She prodded ignoring the disparaging look the youngest brother was sending them.

"I've got us invites to the biggest New Year's Eve party around."

Like someone had turned on a light Wally perked up, go figure.

Now she knew why he was acting so excited. His solution to most people's problems was by playing matchmaker and what better time or place than a New Year's party. She was convinced it would uplift Wally's mood but as for Frank she had her doubts and for the brother’s relationship as a whole she wasn't sure about that either.

"Just talked to Alex today, he says his family hired a live band and they've even put up two bars in their ballroom for the event."

Wally was practically glowing now, "Did I mention that I love you big brother?"

"Not lately, but it's nice to hear."

Gracia narrowed her eyes at her fiancé as his brother left the room. "Who are the lucky ladies you are going to be throwing your brothers at?"

The smirk widened on his face as if he were very satisfied with himself. "Did you know Alex has two other sisters besides Catherine and Olivier?" He kissed her on the cheek, "If there is one thing that captures the passion and fight of a Hughes man, it's a mesmerizing woman. They will be swooning instead of fighting in no time."

He looked so proud of himself that she just didn't have it in her to tell him that the two sisters he was thinking of resembled their brother more than their eldest sister. She hoped, for their sake, that they resolved their issues before having to submit to this particular cupid scheme.

Humor aside she just couldn't swallow the fact that something so petty had come between brothers like them. Besides be wrenched in the middle, the idea of those two brothers going back into active duty without making up didn't sit well with her. She could only imagine how Maes felt.

**(Havoc)**

This was his kind of party. An open bar, a reason to celebrate and a room filled with enough women to satisfy even the hungriest of eyes. Having worked most of his break at the general store his parents owned he was all too happy to accept the Armstrong invitation.

Making himself comfortable at the bar he was soon accompanied by Breda who looked just as amused to be there as he was. Havoc ordered another drink; it was nice to be able to sample the posh side of life. Back in the fraternity house they made due with the bottom of the shelf liquors and water downed beer. "Why Alex or Olivier stay on campus is beyond me. I would be living it up in this mansion if I had the chance."

Heymans nodded in agreement, "The food is filling, the drinks are brimming and the place smells of success."

"I'll drink to that!" Havoc replied lifting his glass up.

"Hear, hear."

As the noise of the crowd grew louder he made sure to check the time. "Any New Year's resolutions?" He asked his fraternity brother.

Breda snorted, "If you are referring to the ridiculous tradition of weight lost plans you can count me out. But there is something I was going to talk to you about."

Jean stopped smirking, "I didn't rag on you about the whole food thing so you don't get to push the anti-smoking propaganda with me."

"Didn't plan on it." The red head drummed his fingers against the bar looking a little apprehensive, "I want to throw my name in the ring for President."

Jean chewed on the olive from his drink trying to picture him presiding at meetings. "Really? I just figured Mustang would run for a second term." He answered thinking aloud.

His brother shook his head, "Not this time around."

Ever since he had become a member, back when Hughes was President, he had heard nothing but Presidential campaigning from Roy. The abrupt change seemed a little strange to him, there had to be something working behind the scenes. "You sure he doesn't want to run for another term?"

"According to our bylaws he can't."

Jean put his drink down. He wasn't going to pretend he knew their bylaws by heart but he knew enough to oppose that statement completely. Heymans may have the highest GPA in the fraternity and was clearly the most well versed when it came to policy but Jean knew that didn't sound right. "I disagree Heymans; I know you can run for a second term."

"Not when you are President of the IFC."

Jean almost took a tumble out of his seat, "Huh? Mustang wants to run for IFC president?"

"None of the current board members want to run for it and between you and me I think the position's been jinxed. But you know how Mustang is; if there is something else better out there, he's going to want it."

"Well I'll be. You really think you can do the job? I think the president should be a magnanimous kind of guy, good looking, well versed with the ladies…you know, someone like me."

Something whacked him across the back of his head.

"Hey, what was that for?" He looked around for the perpetrator only to see an annoyed Olivier, Roy and Riza laughing in her wake.

"If I wanted to see a fraternity my ancestors started destroyed, I would do it myself." Olivier remarked dully.

Sending the cynical woman a glare, he waved over his fraternity brother. "Been holding out on me. Heymans tells me our very own Roy Mustang is going to run for IFC president."

Riza looked a little skeptical. "You really want to run for that position?"

Roy held his head up a little higher, smirking slightly. "Just one of my New Year's resolutions, dominate the Greek world."

Havoc exchanged a look with Breda before shrugging, "He can't be worse than Kimbley."

**(Riza)**

She was grateful that he cared, but the more he goaded her about the upcoming election the more cross she was becoming with him. Olivier had already pressed her for a letter of intent and her position as Executive Vice President was clearly a stepping stone for president. But in the realm of things that should be, she wondered why no one had even bothered to ask her what  _she_  wanted.

"I don't know if I want to be president." She stated simply.

He looked stunned and it made her feel cowardly for even mentioning it.

"Riza, you are the best candidate for the position. Listen if you're nervous about running I can almost guarantee your chapter is going to vote 100% in your favor. Relax; this is something I'm good at."

Sometimes she wondered if he ever actually listened to her. "That's not it. I'm nervous about my class schedule for next semester; I really don't think I'm going to have time to devote to being President."

Why Roy looked exasperated she had no idea, it wasn't his life to decide for. "You're saying you would rather sit back and watch from the sidelines?"

"I think I will be more of a use to my chapter as a member than as a leader." She proposed.

"You do realize that leadership positions are golden on any resume."

"I'm not an idiot." She fired back; angered that he was going to fight her on this.

"Sounds more like a cop out."

She thought about Professor Raven and the way she had let him walk all over her. How long had she been letting others decide what was best for her?

"Drop it."

Roy pierced her with those dark eyes of his but she kept her stance. "Something's bugging you that you aren't telling me."

"It's nothing." And it would remain nothing because she was a big girl and she could handle things by herself.

He touched her cheek, caressing the strands of hair that had slipped out of her updo. "Right, and when this nothing turns into something are you still going to pretend everything's ok?"

She heard herself say no, but a part of her knew she was already keeping secrets from him. The pressure had never gotten to her before but there were cracks in her façade and some people just knew where to pick.

**(Franklin Hughes)**

Breathing heavily, he bent over in the wake of his exertion, his hand resting over his heart as if to calm it merely by touch. His youngest brother joined him seconds later looking just as winded. They both stared at each other before Wally cracked a smile and they were both laughing so hard the people around them were starting to stare.

"I thought it was Alex until I noticed there was three of him." Wally admitted looking torn between horror and humor.

"If Amue and Strongine didn't have cleavage I don't think I could have told the difference." He offered weakly as he succumbed to another roar of laughter.

"And the hair, don't forget the long hair." His younger brother inserted.

The two of them began to come down from their high, the merriment slowly dying on their lips.

"What was Maes thinking trying to set us up with those two?"

Frank knew both of his brothers well enough to know the answer to that question. "It's Maes, of course he's going to try to set us up. He is about the only sane man alive who believes love heals all."

That seemed to sober his younger brother up a bit, "So you're saying he patched us up with those two out of love?"

The humor was still there, but it reminded him of how lucky he was to have brothers like his. He was feeling pretty guilty about what he had done. "I owe you an apology for what happened." It didn't feel good to admit what he had done, but he missed his younger brother and he didn't want things to stay like this.

Wally had never been one for the serious talks but even he looked solemn at the change in conversation. "I just don't get it, what changed between us?"

Everything, everything had changed but it should have never resulted in this.

"Seeing humanity at its worst, its takes something away from you. When we came home you acted like nothing had changed and for that moment, I hated you for being able to pretend like things really could go back to the way they were."

Wally frowned; his grave expression foreign on such a characteristically happy guy. "You think I didn't spend my time in training hearing about the deaths and feeling scared shitless that one day I was going to hear your name? That's why I make jokes, because I don't want to spend what little time we might have as a family thinking about that shit. I thought you knew?"

He nodded feeling foolish for having to listen to wisdom from his youngest brother, "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well you can make it up to me."

"How's that?"

Walter grinned from ear to ear, "I think our brother has the right idea."

Frank shuddered, "You're not still thinking about the Armstrong girls, are you?"

Olivier was a looker, but it seemed her two younger sisters were apples that had fallen from the wrong side of the tree.

"No, I'm thinking about those two girls headed to the bar."

He hooked his arm around his brother's neck and ruffled his hair. "That's the spirit!"

Wally laughed as he escaped his brother's affections. "Dibs on the blonde!"

**(Alex Armstrong)**

The night had started off brilliantly when Maes had introduced his two brothers to his darling sisters. He had been quite confident in a match and had nearly swooned at the idea that his fraternity brother's real brothers might be his brothers…oh what a match! Funny, the brothers were now talking to two other girls and his sisters were nowhere to be found. Hmm, it couldn't possibly be their fault. He would have to gently break it to Maes that his sisters were not interested. Feeling his spirit dampen he found himself subconsciously looking for someone. Maybe if he didn't invite someone, he wouldn't have had the reason to look, but he had and now that his attention was free it didn't take long. It was easy to spot the person he had been thinking of; the man in question had just walked through the arch into the ballroom.

His hair was slicked back, the jerry curl in front drawing attention to his striking stare. Alex noticed him from across the room, his dress pants matched with a dress shirt unbuttoned several notches down. The man ran a hand down one of his black suspenders, his coat thrown carelessly over his back by his other hand. It was dangerous the way he was eyeing the sculpted boy as if he were attainable. The dark eye liner marked the narrowed slits in his direction, the lips shining slightly as they curled up in a smirk.

It was minutes until midnight when a hand reached out and pulled him away from the dancing bodies and live band. He was startled at first but followed into the intrigue without hesitation once he saw who it was. There was no way to tell where this was going, but he didn't want it to stop just yet.

It had started off as a compare and contrast sort of infatuation between himself and Garfiel. His interest was piqued when he juxtaposed their personalities. A friendship had never really sprung up between them, more of a curiosity on his part. They had met at the gym and from there he had been taken by the man's eccentricities and buoyant mannerisms. He had convinced himself that the invitation to his family's New Year's Eve party was based solely on friendship, but since they were not close friends, he wasn't sure how long he could hide behind that excuse.

The hallway was deserted and would be for some time. With the party in full swing back in the large ballroom he knew no one would disturb them here.

Feeling the need to break the silence he smiled politely. "Pleasant evening, isn't it?"

"Hmm yes." Garfiel agreed, his lips pressed together, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Alex could hear the distant chanting countdown in the background but his attention was focused elsewhere. Garfiel was a good ten years his senior. Perhaps there was something to be said of age and experience; the dark-haired man smirked at him like he knew what was to come. Then again maybe Alex did too because when the rest of the world was screaming Happy New Year, he was kissing someone he shouldn't be.

His eyes closed and his hands sought to grab on to something, to hold onto something he knew wasn't going to last. The sound of giggling sent him flying backwards, his eyes wide at the realization of just what he had been doing. The dark-haired man was staring at him, but he was looking at the blonde girl that had run past the end of the hallway, disappearing out of sight. Had she seen?

Chest heaving, he leaned a hand against the wall, what did this mean?

A hand stroked down his arm making goose bumps rise to the surface. "Relax big boy, it was just a kiss."

He had a fleeting sensation of wanting to pull him back, but his indecision kept him frozen in place. Did kissing a guy mean he was…did that make him a bad person? It must be the Champaign talking.

Garfiel sauntered back to the party as if the world kept on turning despite that moment in time. Fixing his suit jacket he steadied his nerves and followed suit. No need to make a fuss over a kiss, right?

**(Edward)**

They weren't sitting around a campfire singing songs of friendship but their relationship had improved since the day on the hill. It was enough that the tension around the house had dulled to a tolerable level. Now it was New Year's Eve and despite his protests, he had been corralled into attending a party with the rest of them at the towns oldest bar and tavern. Just one look around and he could tell that this was probably half the population of Resembool and it still wasn't all that many people.

Hohenheim and Pinako had disappeared early in the night towards the older crowd and were now lost into a few rounds of blackjack. Currently Al was the center of both his and Winry's attention. Ed still couldn't believe it and one look at Winry confirmed that she couldn't either. Al had already danced with almost every girl there and was now accompanied by a pretty redhead whose face was blushing hard enough to match her hair.

Feeling a little outdone by his brother he decided to push away his insecurities and ask Winry to dance. He still owed her at least one dance.

Standing up he offered her his hand.

"What?" She asked glancing from his hand and back at him again.

Feeling the heat rise in his cheeks he stared right back at her. "Well, do you want to dance or not?"

She rolled her eyes, "Always the charmer." But even with the sarcastic answer she was already pushing her chair back and rising to her feet.

There was a sense of formality and grace involved in dancing, neither of which Ed was accustomed. He wasn't sure what to do with his hands, but she coaxed him gently into the right place. Planting his palms against her hips she reached around his neck and with an ease of which he had never seen she fell into step with the music. They swayed to the slow beat, her head eventually leaning on his shoulder. "See." She spoke, her breath tickling his ear. "This isn't so bad, right?"

He wanted to argue that dancing was still not high on his list of favorite things to do, but having a reason to keep her close pushed it up a few notches.

It wasn't until the countdown began that they broke their hold. Smiling he joined in at four and then three, two and he never got to one because Winry was kissing him.

Once they were home Hohenheim passed out on the couch, Al, worn out from his Fred Astaire moment snored happily in his bed and even the old hag was off to bed without saying much. His wasn't aware he had followed her until he looked around to see Winry's room instead of his own.

Maybe she had wanted him to follow her because the glow in her face hadn't diminished in the least. Eyes glazed over with mischief she fished around in her bag for a moment before retrieving an unopened bottle of Champaign.

Ed opened his mouth, feigning shock, "Winry Rockbell did you take that from the party?"

She shrugged those bare shoulders of hers before nodding her head up and down, her laughter taking him with her. Stepping out on the balcony they leaned against the railing, taking turns drinking from the bottle. He heard her sigh and tried to figure out what was going on in that head of hers. "What?"

"Do you feel it?"

He felt a lot of things just by being with her; she was going to have to be more specific. "Feel what?"

Her head fell into the open palm of her hand as she leaned her elbow on the railing. "For once it seems like everything is as it should be."

Setting the nearly empty bottle down he decided he would kiss her again and agian. Heading back inside he should have stopped at one goodnight kiss, but he couldn't do it. He watched her walk slowly towards her bed, the strap of her dress falling down her arm as his gaze followed her bicep upwards towards her clavicle where the skin dipped low. Looking over her shoulder she smiled nervously at him. "Ed, will you unzip me?"

Stepping up behind her he trailed his fingers up the spine of her dress until at last he reached the top. Tugging down the metal he watched as the dress parted to each side, the realization of what she was asking him to do making him flush. When he was done, he let the fabric out of his grip and watched as she turned to face him. Her hands clasped around the front of her dress, holding it to her chest like a safety net.

Reaching out he pushed her hair back and let his palm linger on her cheek. It felt like the walls were closing in around them as their bodies leaned towards one another. She looked up at him, her lips parting slightly. Emboldened by the initial feeling that had brought them here he kissed her. When her hands came up to wrap around his neck, he could feel the fabric of her dress slide down between them. His hands started to shake as he brought them around her back feeling the bare skin. He closed his eyes for a moment and stopped breathing as if he might scare her away.

Her hands ran along the hem of his shirt, dragging it upwards until it was over his head and discarded on the floor. Guiding her towards her bed he hovered over her, appreciating the way her pale skin reflected what little light streamed in from outside. He thought about how close they had come in her workshop and figured he might actually have to thank the old lady's interruption; this was so much more than that.

He paused as he noticed her shiver. Feeling nervous all over again he held himself back as he looked her in the eyes, "WInry?"

She worried her lip between her teeth before the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile. Pulling him closer to her she griped him tightly, "Yes?"

"I..." He swallowed back words he couldn’t say.

“I know.” She agreed, “I want this too.”

They were tangled, all limbs and teeth clanging but it was worth it. They were good at communicating in this way and he was having a hard time resisting the urge to let go. She kissed him hard to muffle his voice as they came off their high; her own noises making him fear the wrath of the other occupants in the house. But the house stayed quiet and he was too exhausted and content to care about anything else but the way Winry’s body was pressed against his. He might have had a few drinks, but his mind felt quite clear about how he felt in that moment. Winry turned her head up and kissed him once more before sleepily resting her head against his chest.

He wanted to say it right then and there but by the time he found the courage she was already asleep.

* * *

 

And the countdown had come to an end.

 

Ten seconds was all that separated them from their past and their present:

10 seconds-The Hughes brothers bury the hatchet.

9 seconds-Olivier remains silent as the crowd counts down; she knows what the next year will bring and has no desire to acknowledge it.

8 seconds-Havoc wishes Rebecca hadn't gone home for the holidays.

7 seconds-Leto holds Rose's hair back as she pukes, at least now he knows never to let her drink tequila.

6 seconds-Pinako stares at Winry and Edward dancing slowly, refusing to comment on how it reminds her of their parents.

5 seconds-Riza wonders for the first time if everything she has been working towards is what she really wants.

4 seconds-Alex feels the weight of his decision hanging on his shoulders like a cloak of shame.

3 seconds-Winry wonders for the first time if her alarm clock not going off and the rain soaking her shirt on the day she met Edward were just dominos in a series of events that led to this moment or if someone out there sketched it all out by hand.

2 seconds-Maes kisses Gracia before the New Year arrives; thinking that the next time they celebrate a new year he will finally be able to call her his wife.

1 second-Zolf sat in his cell leering at the letter in his hands; it was comforting to know he had friends on the other side.

 


End file.
